


Missing Pieces

by Frejennix



Series: Missing Pieces [1]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Badass!Rhys, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Good Dad!Jack, M/M, Minor Canonical Character(s), Panic Attacks, Slow Burn, Younger!Angel, more tags added as needed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-04-28 12:31:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 90,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5090852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frejennix/pseuds/Frejennix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Angel's ever wanted was a real family.</p><p>Jack is afraid that he will end up treating Angel the way he was treated without even knowing it.</p><p>Rhys just wants to belong somewhere, more than anything in the world.</p><p>Somehow, the broken pieces of their lives all fit together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rhys has got a dark side, and that dark side comes out when little girls are left crying for their daddies alone.

"Rhys! Just the man I was looking for!"

"Good morning, Mr. Henderson." Rhys said, looking up from his work and plastering his most helpful, sincere, please-just-fucking-promote-me-already smile on his face. The man had been dangling this promotion in front of Rhys for weeks, and Rhys was starting to get really, really irritated.

"Rhys, could you do me a favor?" Henderson said, a mad glint in his eye that made Rhys’ skin prickle unpleasantly.

"Of course sir." Henderson _had_ to have known he’d say yes no matter what, but the fact that he asked made Rhys uneasy for reasons he couldn’t name.

"I knew you'd come through for me. Take these reports up to Handsome Jack's office for me, would ya?" Henderson said, dropping a few file folders onto Rhys’ desk.

"H-Handsome Jack, sir?" Rhys repeated, horrified. It was no secret that the department had fallen behind on their deliverables. Just this morning, he had told Vaughn and Yvette that he pitied the person who had to tell Handsome Jack that they’d failed to meet their deadlines. And now apparently that person was Rhys.

"Is that a problem, Rhys?" Henderson said, his voice stern and disappointed even though the smile hadn’t faded from his face. "Thought you were my man, my go-to guy. If you can't handle this simple task, then maybe I've been considering the wrong person for that promotion."

"No!" Facing Handsome Jack was one thing, but no one ever recovered from a reputation of not getting things done. It was the kiss of death for any career, especially for someone as desperate to move up the company ladder as Rhys. "I can handle it." Rhys swallowed around the knot in his throat, reaching for the files. "C-Consider it done, sir."

“Good man!” Henderson barked, placing a yellow Hyperion key card on top of the files. “That’ll get you up to Jack’s office. Be quick about it.”

“Yes, sir.” Rhys said, regretting his life choices as he gathered the files and the key card and headed towards the elevators. He placed the key card against the scanner, watching as the Hyperion logo at the top of the elevator panel lit up, and the elevator began climbing the floors at a rapid pace.

Rhys wondered if he should send a message to Vaughn or Yvette, say what may be his final goodbyes. By the time the elevator stopped, he had decided against it, not wanting to tempt fate any more than he already was.

The elevator doors opened without a sound, leaving Rhys to wonder at the opulence of the executive floors. The floor gleamed mirror bright, and large potted Pandoran plants flanked the doors to Handsome Jack’s office. The empty secretary’s desk looked like it was made of actual wood, and gigantic posters of the president stared down from the walls.

But Rhys was more interested in the small girl seated in one of the uncomfortable chairs outside the office. She was tiny, and she was crying softly, her hands folded in her lap. She hadn't noticed Rhys’ arrival, and seemed to be trying not to make any noise, but the little hiccups she made ripped through Rhys with the force of bullets. He frowned, looking around for anyone, but she seemed to be completely alone. Pushing his impending doom from his mind, he approached the little girl, wincing when she frantically tried to stifle her tears at the sound of his shoes.

"Hey..." Rhys said, sitting next to the little girl, close enough for her to feel his presence, but not enough to scare her. "Are you okay?"

She sniffled and shook her head slightly, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Here." Rhys said, searching his pockets for a tissue and finally unearthing one that seemed relatively clean. He offered it to her. "What's wrong?"

"D-Daddy's assistant won't let me see him." She sobbed, a fresh wave of tears falling from her eyes. "He said Daddy was too busy to deal with me right now. And nobody's here to call Daddy for me."

"What a…jerk." Rhys said, mindful of his language even as his mind reeled. He had known conceptually that Handsome Jack had a daughter, but he had never even seen a picture of her before now. Although the long raven-black hair wasn't anything like Jack's well-coiffed walnut locks, her eyes were the same bright blue as Jack's right eye. At least, Rhys assumed, having never seen Jack's eyes from close range.

"I'm Rhys, by the way." He said. She looked up at him with those wide eyes.

"I'm...I'm Angel." She said at last, taking the tissue from him and wiping her face and nose. “Thank you.” She said politely, making Rhys smile.

“You're welcome.” Rhys said, taking the used tissue back and throwing it into a nearby trash bin.

She gasped in wonder, staring at his arm. "Is that one of Daddy’s arms? Do you work in robotics? Is that where you got it?" she asked excitedly, reaching for it before stopping short. Rhys marveled at her manners, considering who her father was. Handsome Jack’s version of asking for permission usually involved bullets.

"No, I got this before I started working here actually. Do you wanna see?"

“Does it do anything cool? Daddy says that there’s all sorts of attachments and customizations on the new prosthetics.” She said, running her hand up and down the yellow casing of his arm. Rhys blinked as Angel began listing the various upgrades, surprised at her knowledge. She was clearly very brilliant for her age, a fact which, now that he thought about it, didn’t really surprise Rhys at all. Any child of handsome Jack would be extraordinary in some way.

“Well, I can pull up a screen on it that connects to my eye? It’s not as cool as the new models, but I like it.”

“Your eye?” Angel repeated, her brow wrinkling in confusion.

“Yeah, I have an ECHOeye implant in this one.” He said, tapping at his left temple. Angel’s eyes went wide.

“I thought you just had eyes like Daddy.” She said, sounding awed. “So you can scan people? Can you scan me, please? I’d like to see it work.”

“Sure thing.” Rhys said, activating it with a thought. Angel gasped as Rhys’ blue eye began to glow, focusing on her with a whirr.

“Let’s see what it says-OW!” Rhys shouted, clapping his hand over his eye as it began to send sharp bolts of pain into his brain, accompanied by an angry notification stating that the information he’d been trying to access was highly classified and way out of his league.

“Are you okay?” Angel asked, concerned. “Oh, right. Daddy doesn’t usually like people knowing about me. Sorry.” She said, looking so sad and so lonely for a moment that all Rhys wanted to do was hug her.

"Who the hell are you?" A female voice asked sharply. Rhys looked up to see a pale, athletic woman staring down at him with a fierce expression.

"Maya! You're here!" Angel said, jumping out of her chair and hugging the cerulean haired woman. The woman's face softened as she knelt down to return the hug.

"Hey there, munchkin, sorry I wasn't here." Maya said warmly. She frowned when she saw the tear stains on her cheeks. "Were you _crying,_ honey? Was this guy being mean to you?" She asked, glaring at Rhys in a way that promised certain death if Angel's answer was yes.

"No, he helped me _stop_ crying." Angel said, rubbing at her cheeks. "Blake wouldn't let me talk to Daddy."

"He what?" Maya said, her voice cold. Angel nodded. "The little toe rag...I'll talk to him after this guy's meeting, okay, sweetpea?"

"Okay."

"Good." She sat behind the secretary's desk, pressing a few buttons on her keypad before looking at Rhys.

"Handsome Jack will see you now."

Rhys paused for a moment, then held out his hand to Angel.

"Why don't you come on in with me, Angel, and you can talk to your dad before my meeting?" He said. Angel brightened, while Maya's eyes widened.

"But...won't you get in trouble?" Angel asked, hesitating. "Daddy can get cranky when people are late."

"I can handle a little trouble." Rhys said, puffing out his chest and making Angel giggle. "Besides, I'm sure your dad wouldn't want you waiting any longer."

"Okay! Thank you, Mr. Rhys."

"Ugh, way to make me feel old." Rhys groaned theatrically. "Just Rhys, okay?"

"Okay." She said with another giggle, taking his metal hand in hers.

Rhys’ breath caught in his throat as he entered Jack’s office for the first time. It was massive and spacious, with what was possibly the greatest view Rhys had ever seen, a panoramic view of Elpis, the cracked purple scar across the moon’s surface bathing the room with a slight violet glow underneath the fluorescents. A man whom Rhys could only assume was Blake was just finishing a report of some kind, clearly smug about holding the president’s undivided attention. He looked down his nose at Angel and Rhys and sniffed loudly.

“Your twelve o’clock appointment is here, Jack.” Blake said before walking past Rhys and angel without another glance.

"It's about frickin time you showed up! Didja get lost on the way here, idiot?" Jack asked, his back to Rhys.

"Daddy, don't be mean to Rhys." Angel chastised before Rhys could even open his mouth. Jack whirled around in his chair at the sound of her voice.

"Angel? What're you doing here, sweetheart? I thought you were with Gaige for the afternoon." He narrowed heterochromatic eyes at her. "You didn't walk all the way up here from R&D by yourself, did you?"

"Everyone was busy, Daddy." Angel said, but she fiddled with the hem of her dress, and wouldn’t meet her father’s eyes.

"That's no excuse and you know it, young lady." Jack said sternly, so focused on Angel, it was hard to tell if he remembered that Rhys or his assistant were even in the room. “You know I don't want you walking around alone. What if you got lost? Or hurt?"

"Felicity would find me." Angel said promptly. Rhys idly wondered if that was the name of her caretaker. "But I'll remember not to go alone next time."

"That's what I like to hear. You know I only want you safe, baby."

"I know, Daddy. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you, sweetheart, but don't do it again." Jack said firmly, but with a fond smile on his face.

"Okay, Daddy." Angel said. Jack nodded, satisfied with her answer, then seemed to remember Rhys' presence.

"As for you..." Jack growled, eyes flicking up to Rhys' face. "Is there a reason I'm still waiting on those reports?"

"W-Well, sir, I figured your daughter took precedence over this report." He said, trying not to cower under the CEO’s gaze.

"You'd be right about that." Jack said with a nod. "Why did you wanna see me, baby?"

"Since I finished all of my lessons for today early, and Gaige is too busy with other stuff to work on our stuff with me, I wanted to get lunch with you if you're not too busy." Angel said. She fiddled her dress again, her eyes downcast as she tried not to let her disappointment show. "But you have a meeting with Rhys right now, so you don't have to. That's okay, I can just go with the Claptrap-"

"I'm _never_ too busy for you, baby girl." Jack said immediately, as if the very idea of not having time for his daughter offended him. "Also, no daughter of mine will spend any more time around those monstrosities than she needs to. Which is only the amount of time it takes to watch me throw one out a window."

"I think they're funny." Angel argued, but she was smiling.

"That's because you have no taste, sweetheart." Jack said fondly, before addressing Rhys. "You, guy, get lost. Come back later."

"His name is _Rhys,_ Daddy. Be nice to him."

Jack raised his eyebrows at his daughter, then pursed his lips against a smile. "Fine. _Rhys,_ you can deliver those reports to me later, right, princess?"

"Yes, sir." Rhys said.

"Good. Do that." Jack said, waving a careless hand in the air as he rounded his desk. "Talk to Blake about when. I have lunch plans." Jack scooped Angel up into his arms. "Let's go, babycakes."

"Bye, Rhys!" Angel called as Jack carried her out of the office, waving wildly. Rhys waved back, his eyes quickly spying the assistant seated at a desk in the corner of the room, reading something on an ECHOpad.

Rhys narrowed his eyes, his jaw clenched tight as he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders to loosen them.

"Excuse me." He said to the man as he walked closer, his fists clenching unconsciously.

"Can I help you, sir?" Blake said in a bored voice, as though Rhys couldn't possibly be worth his time.

"Yeah." Rhys said mock cheerfully, taking the ECHOpad out of his hands and tossing it across the room, his metal hand wrapping around Blake’s throat in the same motion. "You see, Blake, you and me have a problem now. You left a little girl crying for her father outside in a waiting room _for an hour_ , and, well, that just doesn't _fly_ with me."

Part of Rhys was shocked at his own violent actions, but the cold, logical, furious part of his brain reasoned that the man worked for _Handsome Jack_ ; this was probably how the president ordered coffee in the mornings.

Blake choked and gasped, his hands scrabbling ineffectually at Rhys’ cybernetic arm. That bloodthirsty part of Rhys laughed at the look of fear on the man's face, and he gave Blake a slow, sinister smile, all teeth and no warmth.

"See, I'm going to be keeping an eye on you from now on, Blake. And if I hear about this happening again, if I even suspect that you've caused that little girl to feel even the tiniest bit sad, or ignored, or mistreated, I will _personally_ introduce you to the spacey side of an airlock." He said, his voice cool and casual even as his fingers tightened viciously around the man's windpipe. "Am I understood?"

"Couldn't have put it better myself, kiddo."

Rhys stiffened, and turned to face Handsome Jack and Angel. The man had put Angel down at some point, and she was now clinging to his leg, looking up at Rhys with those wide blue eyes. Rhys quickly stepped away from Blake, who fell gasping to the floor, clutching his throat. "I-I thought you two were headed to lunch." Rhys said guiltily.

"Maya told me what happened in the waiting room." Jack said, his hand falling on Angel’s head and smoothing over her hair. "Imagine my surprise to come back here, intending to strangle my idiot of an assistant for making my Angel cry and find someone doing it for me." He cocked his head to one side, light glinting off the hinges of his mask. "I like your initiative, pumpkin."

"Thank you, sir?" Rhys said, unsure how to take the compliment. If it even was a compliment. He still felt a little guilty for exposing Angel to his display of violence, though. She shouldn't have to see things like that at her age, he thought. She could still have a few years of innocence left.

"Sir..." The man rasped from the floor, his voice hoarse. "I-I can explain-"

"What's there to explain, Blakey?" Jack asked, his eyes still trained on Rhys. "My daughter asked for me, and you made her wait. Alone. For an hour." He finally broke eye contact with Rhys to look down at his daughter. "Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

"Yeah…" She said hesitatingly, looking up at her father with trepidation. “But it’s okay, Daddy, Rhys was there, and he asked me if I was okay and he helped me stop crying-”

"See, now that's the funny thing, Blakey." Jack growled, interrupting her and casually drawing his pistol from its holster and spinning the barrel slowly. "Because I distinctly remember telling you on your first day that nothing is more important to me than my daughter."

"Sir, I'm sorry, I’m sorry, it won't ever happen again-" the man whimpered, his eyes wide with fear.

"You're damn right it won't happen again, you goddamn piece of TRASH!" Jack roared, his eyes flashing with fire as he cocked the gun, taking aim. _"Nobody_ makes my Angel cry. NOBODY!"

"Sir!" Rhys said firmly, drawing attention to himself as he moved to stand between Handsome Jack and the man cowering on the floor. "As much as he may deserve it, sir, maybe you should deal with Blake’s termination in a more..." He cast a pointed glance to Angel, who had buried her face into Jack's pant leg, her knuckles white against the fabric. _"Private_ setting?"

"...Right." Jack said after a moment. He slowly holstered his gun, turning his face away from the sobbing man on the floor. "Thank the man, Blake. He just saved your life."  
Blake began spluttering thanks, crawling closer to Rhys, but Jack interrupted him. "However, if you're not off this space station in ten minutes, Blakey-boy, I'll find you and have you fired from the moonshot cannon into the biggest Rakk Hive nest on Pandora. Now get the hell out of my sight."

Blake whimpered in fear, scrambling to his feet and running out the door as fast as his legs could carry him. The door fell closed behind him, the noise echoing in the suddenly silent room.

"Angel?" Jack asked quietly, looking down at his daughter, gently resting his hand on her head. She flinched at the sound of his voice, keeping her face hidden in the fabric of his trousers. "Angel, baby, look at me." Jack said, pleaded really.

After a moment of hesitation, she obeyed, looking up at her father with watery eyes.

"Aw, _hell."_ Jack muttered, kneeling down and gathering her in his arms. "It's okay, baby girl. Daddy's sorry he lost his temper and scared you."

"It's okay, Daddy." She mumbled into his shoulder.

"No it's not." Jack said emphatically, and there was something in his voice, some note of something resembling actual fear, that made Rhys’ heart stutter in his chest. "I don't ever want you to be scared of me, baby." He murmured, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

"I wasn't scared of _you,_ Daddy." She insisted, like the mere idea of it was ridiculous. "I'd never _ever_ be scared of you."

"Yeah?" Jack said, a relieved smile stretching his face. “Never ever?”

"Daddy, I see you when you wake up in the morning.” Angel said, a cheeky smile on her face as she boops Jack on the nose. “I don't think anyone could ever be scared of you after watching you walk into walls before you have your coffee."

Rhys snorted involuntarily at the mental image of Handsome Jack, bleary eyed and sleepy, walking into walls. Unfortunately, his laughter reminded both father and daughter of his presence. Handsome Jack cleared his throat, rising up from his knees in one smooth movement.

"Rhys, was it?" Jack asked, as he regarded Rhys with a critical stare. “What kind of a name is Rhys?”

"The one I have, sir." Rhys said without thinking, his heart starting to beat double time. What had he been thinking? He had just threatened a man, a man who worked directly under Handsome freaking Jack! And then he had presumed to tell Jack what he should do with said employee? And he still hasn't delivered that freaking report?! If Rhys made it out of this situation unscathed, he was going to be very surprised.

“Oh, now you're _sassing_ me?” Jack asked, and if Rhys didn’t know better, he’d think that was something like…glee in Jack’s voice.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah, baby?”

"Are you gonna need a new assistant?"

Jack blinked once, then groaned loudly, rubbing at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Yeah, baby, looks like." He gave Angel a strained smile, reaching down to smooth back her hair and press a kiss to her head. "But don't you worry, baby girl, daddy’s gonna make sure that the next one knows how to treat you right-"

"Daddy, you should hire Rhys as your new assistant!" Angel interrupted excitedly.

"What?" Jack asked, a sentiment Rhys echoed simultaneously.

"Yeah! He was so nice to me outside, and he defended me to Blake, and he stood up to you without crying or anything! He's perfect!"

"Huh. He did, didn't he?" Jack said, thoughtful. "Couldn't be any worse than the last few idiots..." He appraised Rhys once more. “Better looking, too.”

“Uh…sir?” Rhys asked, not daring to believe what he was hearing.

"Rhysie, I'm in the market for a new assistant. Would that be something you'd be interested in? It'd come with a sweet pay raise, improved living quarters, the chance to work directly under me..." He waggled his eyebrows at Rhys, smirking at his own innuendo. "Whaddaya say?"

"Uh...yes sir?”

What else was he supposed to say? Nobody said no to Handsome Jack and lived; and why would he want to? Sure, the average life span of Handsome Jack’s assistants was around a month, max, but the chance to work with his idol? How could Rhys pass that up?

"Excellent!" Jack exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "You can use the time Angel and I are at lunch to move your stuff up here and inform your superiors that you're mine now. I expect you to be ready to work by the time I get back."

"Daddy, you're making Rhys work during lunch?" Angel asked, sounding appalled. "When will he eat?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "He's fine, Angel."

"It's okay, Angel, I already ate." Rhys assured Angel, secretly touched by her concern. Angel pouted slightly.

"Will you come have lunch with us next time?" She asked hopefully. Rhys' heart all but melted in his chest.

"If your dad says it's okay." Rhys said. Angel looked at her father imploringly.

"We'll see, sweetheart."

"Okay, Daddy. Bye Rhys!" Angel said, hugging the cybernetic man around the knees. "See you later!"

"Bye, Angel." Rhys said, ruffling her hair fondly. He cleared his throat before looking at Jack. "Have a good lunch, sir."

"Right." Jack said, taking Angel’s hand in his and walking towards the door. "Talk to Maya about updating your biometrics, or you won’t be allowed back on this floor."

“Yes, sir.” Rhys said, but the doors were already closing behind him, leaving Rhys alone in the office.

“What the fuck just happened?” Rhys asked the empty office. “What the ACTUAL FUCK just happened?”

His own questions echoed back to him in the spacious room, and Rhys quickly clamped his mouth shut, not letting the hysterical laughter he could feel bubbling up inside him escape. He took several deep breaths, and left the office, turning to talk to Jack’s blue haired secretary

"Hi, uh, Maya, was it?"

"What the actual fuck did you do in there?" Maya asked sharply, her eyes wide. "First you walk in with Angel like she isn’t this company’s worst kept secret; ten minutes later, Blake runs out like the hounds of hell are after him, then Jack steps out offhandedly saying he's hired you as his new assistant after knowing you for less than a half hour?" She tapped her chin with a finger. “Did I miss anything?”

"Other than that one moment where I'm pretty sure Handsome fucking Jack was hitting on me right in front of his daughter? Yeah, that sounds about right." Rhys said on a sigh. How was this his life?

"You must have really impressed him, if he hired you on the spot." Maya said, typing away at her computer.

"I think it was mostly Angel's doing. She said he should hire me, so he did." Rhys could feel the goofy smile spreading across his face as he remembered how Jack treated Angel, like she was precious and loved, and did absolutely nothing to hide it. "I get the feeling there is very little Jack wouldn't do if Angel asked him."

"That is very, very true." Maya said, pursing her lips in thought. "I like you, kid. You might be exactly what Jack needs."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO.
> 
> First attempt at writing a multichaptered fic in a decade, and only the second fic I've written for the Borderlands fandom. Was very nervous about publishing this, unbeta'd as it was, so comments are appreciated. Will be slow to update at first, but will gain speed later.


	2. Chapter 2

"No."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No way, he's totally bluffing. There's no way his luck is _that_ bad." Vaughn said at last, after engaging in a staring contest with Rhys.  
  
"Then _why_ is he packing his office, Vaughn?" Yvette asked pointedly.  
  
"He just wants us to believe him. Right?” Vaughn said. “Tell her I'm right, Rhys.” Vaughn said when Rhys stayed silent. “ _Rhys_."  
  
"I'm not pulling your leg, Vaughn. I'm really truly Handsome Jack's personal assistant now." Rhys said, still not quite believing it himself, even after having explained it to Henderson and now his two best friends.   
  
"Well, it was nice knowing you Rhys." Vaughn said with a slightly hysterical laugh. "Can I have your sock collection?"  
  
"One, not even in _death_ am I going to be parted from my sock collection, and two, would a little support have killed you? I'm kinda freaking out here." Rhys snapped, empting the contents of a drawer into the cardboard box he was given. He had elected to leave his rather embarrassing collection of Handsome Jack posters with Vaughn, to pick up later when he wasn’t in danger of being airlocked if he was late.  
  
"Rhys, Handsome Jack goes through personal assistants like tissue paper. I think you have every right to freak out." Vaughn said, and really, that was the last thing Rhys needed to hear. Everyone on the floor was treating him as if his fate was already sealed, and it was doing nothing to help curb the panic rising in his chest. Even Henderson had blanched when Rhys had told him the news, and patted him on the back like he had said he had bone waste or some other life threatening disease.   
  
"I don't know." Yvette said after a moment, tapping a manicured fingernail against her chin. "If anyone could do it, it's Rhys. He's got caretaking in his _bones_."  
  
"Thank you, Yvette." Rhys said, genuinely touched.  
  
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my favorite gaggle of _geeks_."

Rhys groaned quietly, rolling his eyes heavenward. “God, what does he want _now_?” He asked no one in particular as Vasquez swept into his cubicle, looking smug and all too pleased with himself.

"Yvette, Vaughn, always a pleasure to see your bespectacled faces." He said to Rhys’ friends before his eyes swept over Rhys, making his skin crawl. There was something about the way Vasquez looked at him, some unholy glint that set off every alarm bell in Rhys’ head; he would not miss that, at any rate. "As for you, Rhys, I believe congratulations are in order?"  
  
"Huh?" Rhys asked, wondering how Vasquez could have found out so fast. "How did you-"  
  
"You're looking at Henderson’s new VP of Sales." Vasquez said proudly, his chest puffing up. "Seems like Henderson finally decided which of us deserved that promotion."  
  
Vasquez paused, as if waiting for one of them to burst into dramatic tears. When no one did, he frowned, finally taking in the empty cubicle walls and the box of Rhys' personal belongings.  
  
"Wait." Vasquez said, slowly as his tiny brain processed the information in front of him. "You're cleaning out your desk. Are you quitting? No..." Vasquez's eyes went wide, and a truly gleeful smile spread across his smarmy face. "Did you get _fired_? First my promotion, now _this_? Is it Christmas already?"  
  
"For your information, _Hugo_ , Rhys was just given the promotion of a lifetime." Yvette sneered.  
  
"Yeah!" Vaughn chimed in. "He was just chosen to be Handsome Jack's new PA by the man himself."

Rhys grinned, busying himself with checking all of his drawers one last time. He really did have the greatest friends in the universe.  
  
For a moment, Vasquez stood frozen, his mouth hanging open comically. Then he started laughing, obnoxiously loud braying laughter that grated on Rhys' eardrums.  
  
"That is just..." Vasquez wiped away a tear from his eye. "You honestly expect me to believe that out of all the people on Helios, Handsome Jack chose this one armed cyclops to be his personal assistant? _Really_?" He laughed again, drawing the attention of several passersby. "At least come up with a semi-believable story if you're gonna lie."  
  
"It's the truth!" Rhys snapped, offended. Vasquez rolled his eyes.  
  
"Come on, let's be real here. What could you possibly have to offer Handsome freaking Ja-"  
  
The ringing of Rhys' ECHO interrupted Vasquez’s tirade. Rhys pulled up the display on his palm and blanched when Handsome Jack's face filled the holographic interface.  
  
"Handsome Jack, sir, I was just finishing getting-" Rhys babbled, terrified that he had failed before he had even started.  
  
"Save your breath, kiddo, I'm still at lunch, and I'll be taking a little trip down to R &D after that. You've got time." Jack said with a roll of his eyes.  
  
"Oh. Okay."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. When you head up with your stuff, make sure there's coffee waiting on my desk, would ya? Use the machine in the office, I don't trust the idiots in the cafeteria. Black as tar and as hot as you can make it. Got it?"  
  
"Yes, sir." Rhys said, and there was that implication, that Jack _didn’t_ trust the cafeteria but he _did_ trust Rhys, that made him feel like preening. "Anything else, sir?"  
  
"Yeah, drop the extra sir's, okay? You sound like one of the brainiacs, all 'yes sir, no sir, please don't kill me sir'. Deference is good, just don't overdo it." Jack said grumpily.  
  
"Understood." Rhys said.  
  
"Remember, coffee on my desk." Jack said right before he hung up. Rhys let out the breath he was holding, suddenly remembering his audience.  
  
Yvette, Vaughn and Vasquez all stared at him with matching expressions of shock. Rhys grinned at the jealous look in Vasquez's eyes, knowing that the man was almost as much a fan of Handsome Jack as Rhys himself.  
  
"Told ya." He said to them, hoisting his box of belongings into his arms. "Now if you'll excuse me, my _new boss_ needs me." He said, pushing past them and heading towards the elevators with a spring in his step.

* * *

When Rhys returned to Handsome Jack’s office with his things in tow, he was surprised to see two men carrying guns in Jack’s office. One was shorter than the other, his blond hair cropped close to his head and Dahl chevrons tattooed on his temple. The other was older, grizzled with what looked like a constructor’s optic sensor embedded in place of his right eye, the metal glinting as he sat on Jack’s couch, cleaning one of his guns.

“Can I…help you?” Rhys asked warily, eyeing the guns strapped to both of their backs.

“Who’re you?” asked the larger man, his voice a growl. “Where’s Blake?”

“ _Blake_ doesn’t work here anymore.” Rhys said, a savage kind of pride in his voice. “I'm his replacement. Rhys.”

"You're the fresh meat, huh?" The soldier asked, assessing Rhys. "Prettier than the last few, I'll give you that."  
  
"Uhhh..." Rhys said dumbly. What was _with_ everyone hitting on him today? He hadn’t gotten this much attention in months.  
  
"I’m Axton, head of Angel's security team.” The man said, holding out his hand for Rhys to take. “And this is Wilhelm, head of Jack's security team. Say hi, Wilhelm."  
  
"Fuck off." The other man said, not looking up from cleaning his gun.  
  
"Wilhelm says hi."  
  
"Angel has her own security team? Why?" Rhys asked, surprised. As far as most people knew, Angel’s existence was rumor, at best.   
  
"For Jack's peace of mind, obviously." Axton said with a roll of his eyes. “You think someone as paranoid as Handsome Jack would give his daughter anything less that the best security money can buy?” he asked, an arrogant smile stretching his face.   
  
"The best money can buy, huh?” Rhys said, narrowing his eyes at the commando. “Okay, so where were you when she walked all the way up from R &D by herself?" Rhys asked sharply.

“She did what?” Axton said dumbly, while Wilhelm laughed loudly, clapping the commando on the back.  
  
"This one's got some fire in him." Wilhelm said, appraising Rhys with actual interest now. “He might last a day or two.”  
  
"Whatever.” Axton growled, attempting to save face. “I'm not a _babysitter_ , new guy. That's your job."

“Sure. And making sure Angel is safe is yours. So how ‘bout you do your job, and leave me to do mine?” Rhys asked with a saccharine sweet smile.

“Hmph.” Axton said, crossing his arms and glaring back at Rhys. “I'm not sure if I like this much firecracker in a guy who might only last a week.” He pointed a finger at Rhys. “I’ll be watching you, new guy.”

“Likewise.” Rhys said, saluting him with two fingers. “Anything else I can help you gentlemen with?”

“Nah.” Wilhelm said, pushing the younger man in the way of the door. “Good luck, kid. You’re gonna need it.”

“And just where do you two think you’re going?” Jack asked as he swept into his office. Axton blanched.

“Listen, Jack-”

“She traveled seven floors in this goddamn space station, and you didn’t even know about it?” Jack asked, in that calm voice that was somehow more frightening than shouting. “How did that happen, Axton?”

“It won’t happen again, sir.” Axton said. He and Jack stared at each other for a long moment. “I promise, Jack, _it won’t happen again_. You know I would never let anything happen to her.”

“I trust you with her life, Axton.” Jack said, his eyes hard as he stared at the commando. “Don’t make me regret it.”

“Understood.” Axton said. Jack nodded once, before jerking his head in the direction of the door.

“Get out of here, find out how it happened, and make sure it never happens again.”

“Yes, sir.” Axton said, walking out of the office with his shoulders squared. Jack shared a look with Wilhelm, who followed after the commando without a word.

“Where’s my coffee, cupcake?” Jack barked, making Rhys jump.

“O-On your desk, sir.”

Jack grunted, heading towards the desk where the coffee was waiting. Rhys watched in horror as Jack took the mug and downed the whole cup in three long swallows, despite the fact that it was still boiling hot. Absently, Rhys wondered if Jack had even tasted it.

"Not bad, kiddo." Jack said, placing the mug back on the desk and nodding at Rhys, who preened at the praise. "Have a seat pumpkin, we need to go over some stuff."

Rhys obeyed, taking the seat in front of Jack's desk.

"Here's the deal, cupcake." Jack said, pacing behind his desk. "You and I both know that the main reason I hired you was because Angel has taken a shine to you. I don’t pretend to understand it, but for now, there’s no harm in indulging her.” Jack’s eyes narrowed as he came to a halt in front of Rhys. “But don’t think for a second that I won’t throw you out a window if I even suspect that you might be dangerous.”

“I understand, sir. You’ll do what’s best for Angel. I can respect that.”

“Right.” Jack said with narrowed blue and green eyes. “That brings us to our next point. Your job description is gonna be a little bit different from your predecessors. You're gonna be doing the same thing the rest of them did, organizing my schedule, dealing with idiots who don't deserve my attention, blah, blah, blah. But," Jack said, holding up a finger. "You’ve got an extra duty, kiddo."

"What is it?"

"Keeping me from scarring my daughter."

Rhys gaped at Jack, who glared right back. "Don't let it go to your head, and don't think this gives you any power over me. But if I'm about to do what I was going to do today..." a shadow passed over Jack’s face, and he clenched his fists tightly. "What I'm saying is that you had balls, standing up to me today, and apparently I need someone who will walk in front of a gun to protect my baby's innocence. Can I trust you with that?"

"Absolutely, sir." Rhys said. In all honesty, he actually wasn't sure if he could really count on his protective streak in the face of Handsome Jack's rage, but what else could he say? You just didn't say you couldn't do something to Handsome Jack. You made it work, or you were replaced.

And in all honesty? Despite only knowing her for a little while, Angel reminded Rhys of his own sisters too much for him to not want her safe, no matter what.

"Sir, if I could ask you a question?"  
  
"Yeah, shoot."  
  
"Why do you need a personal assistant if you already have a secretary?" He asked. It had been niggling at the back of his mind ever since he had spoken to Maya.  
  
"What secretary?" Jack asked, genuinely confused. Rhys gestured in the direction of the door. "Holy shit, you think MAYA'S my secretary?" Jack howled, his laughter reverberating off the walls. "Maya's not my _secretary_ , are you kidding?"  
  
"I mean, she sits outside your office at the secretary desk-"  
  
"Oh my god, that's hilarious." Jack wheezed, pressing a button on his desk, still chuckling. "Maya, get in here, you gotta hear this."

“What is it?” Maya asked, her voice tinny as it came over the intercom.

“Rhysie here just asked me why I needed an assistant when I already had a secretary.” Jack said, still laughing while Rhys felt his face turn redder by the second. “He thinks you're my secretary!”

“Isn’t that the point, Jack?” Maya asked, and Rhys didn’t even have to see her to guess that she was rolling her eyes at the CEO. “To let people think I’m your secretary so they underestimate me?”

“You know, I _know_ that was the plan, but I honestly never believed anyone would fall for it.” Jack said, wiping a tear from his eye. “Maya’s _not_ my secretary, Rhysie.”

“Yeah, I got that, thanks.” Rhys muttered, keeping his eyes down.

“Aw, don’t feel bad cupcake.” Jack said teasingly. “It’s only your first day. You’ll learn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW.
> 
> So much support. I'm so honored, guys, really. And apparently motivated, cause here I am, updating the next day! How bout that!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might be trigger-y for people with anxiety? I'm not really sure, but just be aware.

Rhys did learn, very quickly in fact. Aside from keeping Jack well caffeinated and on schedule, he had very little else to do. He spent half of his time over the next few days learning everything he could about Jack's ongoing projects, bringing himself up to speed on anything and everything Hyperion had in the works. The other half of his time he spent watching Jack, learning his mannerisms, his likes and dislikes, and most importantly, the signs that indicated that Jack was about to lose his temper.  
  
All and all, it was a pretty sweet gig, with plenty of perks. The only downside, besides Jack's random unpredictable displays of violence, was that a few of Hyperion’s higher ups took offense at having to deal with Rhys, the lowly assistant, before they were deemed worthy of Handsome Jack's attention.  
  
"It is imperative that I speak to Handsome Jack this instant!"  
  
"As I've already mentioned, sir, Handsome Jack is currently unavailable. You are just going to have to wait." Rhys said, keeping his tone as pleasant as possible. The balding, bespectacled man turning a rather impressive shade of red had refused to accept that Rhys was not going to let him inside Jack's office.  
  
"Don't you know who I am, peon?"  
  
_Peon? Seriously?_ Rhys thought, just barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm sorry sir, but no matter how important you think you are, you're not more important than the person Handsome Jack is with right now."  
  
"Who could possibly-"  
  
The man was interrupted by Angel's voice, talking excitedly as the doors to Jack's office opened. Rhys smiled as both Jack and Angel exited the office, Angel still chattering away while her father smiled indulgently at her. Rhys was once again struck by how Jack's entire demeanor changed whenever he was around his daughter. Suddenly his smile was genuine, without a hint of malice, and his eyes sparkled with actual delight. It was clear to anyone looking that Handsome Jack truly loved his daughter.  
  
It made something, a small, guilty part in Rhys sigh longingly.  
  
"Are you serious?" The man hissed, scoffing in disbelief. "You made me _wait_ to give Handsome Jack time sensitive information because he was wasting time with some brat?"  
  
Rhys' eyes narrowed, his protective instincts rearing their head. He quickly grabbed the other man by the elbow none too gently, dragging him over to the elevators.  
  
"Count your lucky stars that Jack didn't hear you say that, or you'd be halfway to Pandora." Rhys hissed, throwing the man into the elevator and slapping a random button. "Send someone else from your department next time, cause you're going out the window if I see you on this floor again." Rhys told him as the doors slid closed.  
  
"Hey, Rhysie!" Jack called. "Who was that?"  
  
"No one, sir." Rhys called back airily, his ECHOeye flashing as he pulled up the man's employee records on his palm screen. Gregory Yates, marketing head. Two counts of sexual harassment filed by his secretaries.  
  
Oh, he was _definitely_ going out an airlock if Rhys ever saw him again.  
  
"You okay, Rhys?" Angel asked, looking up at him with trepidation. Rhys schooled his features into an easy smile, and tamped down on his anger. He still didn't understand what it was about Angel that made him so violently protective, but he had learned at a very early age not to question his gut instincts.  
  
"I'm _totally_ okay, Angel." He assured her, melting a bit when she smiled back at him. He was wrapped around her little finger, and he honestly could not give a damn.  
  
"Rhysie, do me a favor and take Angel down to Gaige's lab in R &D." Jack said. "This next meeting might get a little...messy."  
  
"Gaige's lab? Are you sure?" Rhys said when the shock wore off. The location of Gaige's lab was still a mystery to him, even after a week of working for Jack. Angel apparently spent most afternoons there, working on some project that was shrouded in secrecy. The suspense had been killing Rhys, but he had known better than to go snooping.  
  
"Did I stutter?" Jack asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Angel knows the way, and it's time you met Gaige in person. When she's done with you, come back up. I should be done with my meeting by then."  
  
"Understood, sir."  
  
"Come on Rhys!" Angel said excitedly, skipping towards the doors. "I can't wait to show you the plans for the project!"  
  
"Right behind you, Angel." Rhys called, hesitating for one moment. "Can I get you anything on my way back, sir?"  
  
"Nah, just bring that cute ass back here ASAP." Jack said, waving a careless hand. "Now get going, cupcake."  
  
"Wait! I forgot something!" Angel said, darting back over and gesturing for Jack to bend down, which he did. She pressed a smacking kiss to his cheek and hugged him around the neck. "Bye, daddy! I love you, and I'll see you later, right?"  
  
"If no one decided to be an idiot today." Jack said, pressing his own kiss to angel's forehead. "And I love you too, baby girl. Have fun. Try not to blow anything up."  
  
"I won't, but Gaige might.” Angel replied with a cheeky smile.  
  
"Well, I suppose that's unavoidable." Jack said with a sigh. "I'll see you later, baby."  
  
"Come on, Rhys!"  
  
"Yeah." Rhys mumbled, trying to will away his blush. "I'm coming."  


* * *

  
"Gaige!" Angel called as they entered the secluded lab. There was a loud bang, and a curse, and then a skinny red headed teenager in overalls, her hair done up in lopsided pigtails, poked her head out from underneath a metal chassis for what looked like a robot torso.  
  
"Angel?" She questioned, cocking her head to one side as she clambered out from under the robot. "Why're you here so early?"  
  
"Early? It's past noon." Angel said.  
  
"Is it?" Gaige asked, wiping a hand across her forehead and smearing greasepaint all over her face. "Time flies when you're being awesome, I guess." She looked up at Rhys, her eyes calculating. "And who're you supposed to be, beanpole?"  
  
"Hi, I'm Rhys, Jack's new assistant. You must be Gaige?"  
  
"Yeah." Gaige said, her eyes wide. "Are you the new guy that strangled the last PA for making Angel cry?" She asked excitedly.  
  
"I wouldn't say strangled..." Rhys said with a shrug, embarrassed. "That's more Jack's area of expertise. What I did could generously be considered...choking."  
  
"Oh my god that is so badass." Gaige said, her face alight. Angel took that moment to clear her throat, drawing attention to herself.  
  
"Daddy wants you to look at Rhys' arm, Gaige." Angel said.  
  
"Wait, what?" Rhys squawked. "When did he say that?!"  
  
Gaige, meanwhile, let out a high-pitched squeal of delight, clapping her hands together with limited success, not that she seemed to notice.  
  
"Oh, awesome sauce! I've been dying to get my hands on that beautiful piece of tech since you walked in here, dude!" She cackled, grabbing Rhys by the hand and dragging him over to a chair by the workbench. It was then that Rhys noticed the Gaige had a cybernetic limb of her own, albeit much more rustic and industrial than his sleek Hyperion model. "Munchkin, grab my toolkit from under deathtrap, would ya?"  
  
"DeathTrap?" Rhys repeated, alarmed.  
  
"Relax, the thing's not even close to being active, it's completely harmless. Nothing I let her near is going to hurt her." Gaige said, running her flesh hand along the planes of Rhys' arm, checking the joints and socket with brutal efficiency. "Angel was right about your mama bear protectiveness. Gotta admit, it's a nice change of pace to have someone be as concerned for Angel as the rest of us."  
  
"Just doing what anyone should do." Rhys said, trying to stifle his curiosity at the word 'us'.  
  
"That's not how Angel puts it." Gaige said, testing each of the joints on his arm with gentle hands, listening to the whir of the servos inside. "The way she talks about it, you'd think you were like, an avenging superhero, swooping in to save the day." She frowned, popping off the protective plate from the forearm and digging around inside with a practiced hand. "And Jack must trust you a little bit if he sent you to me to get checked out."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"You don't know?" Gaige said, surprise etched across her face before a grin replaced it. "I'm a fugitive, on the run from the law." Gaige said in a stage whisper. "Badass, right?"  
  
"You...huh?"  
  
"Yeah, Jack swiped me up after I had a little incident at the Eden-5 youth science fair. To be clear, it was all Marcy's fault really. If she hadn't shoved me, my mechanized anti bullying deterrent test robot wouldn't have attack her, and she wouldn't have exploded, you know?" Her hands paused. "You won't turn me in, right?"  
  
"Of course not!" Rhys said, offended. "I hardly know you, and besides Jail is no place for a young lady."  
  
"Aw, you are just so cute!"  
  
"Where are your parents?"  
  
"Back on Eden-5. Dad works as a contractor for Hyperion now, and he and mom come visit me when it's safe." She replaced the panel, snapping it back into place with brutal efficiency. "I'm done for now, but I'd like to do a more in depth diagnostic, so next time you feel like stopping by, let me know."  
  
"Rhys!" Angel said impatiently, tugging on his flesh hand. "Come see the plans for our project!"  
  
"Okay." Rhys said, unable to say no to those big blue eyes. "But then I gotta head back up to your dad."  
  
“Come on!” Angel insisted, pulling against him with all her weight. “Move faster!”

“Impatient little bugger, aren’t you.” Gaige said, but there was a grin on her face.

“Here! Here are the blueprints we have right now!”

“It’s…a robot?” Rhys asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked at the plans.

“It’s a companion bot. We’re calling it the Gortys project.” Gaige said.

“Why?”

“It sounded cool in our heads.”

“Basically, she’s there to make people feel better!” angel said excitedly, her hands tracing the lines of the drawing with care. “It’s still in the early stages, but I’ve been learning how to code so that I can start creating her AI.”

“Really?” Rhys said, impressed. “When do you think she’ll be ready?”

“I dunno. I want to make her myself, you know? But daddy and Gaige won’t let me use the fabrication equipment because I'm too little.” She pouted.

“Sensible people.” Rhys said, a horrible image of angel getting hurt flashing in his mind. “But AI’s take a really long time to code. Maybe by then you’ll be big enough to make her body.”

“You think so?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t mind if you stayed young and cute forever.” Rhys said with a wink. Angel giggled wildly.

“Daddy says the same thing.”  
  
"All right, midget, your knight in shining armor needs to get back to his job, let him go. We need to get to work; I demand nothing but the best child labor coding."  
  
"Gaaaaaaaaige!" Angel wailed, even as she did as ordered. "You're no fun."  
  
"Tough it out, cutie pie. All I heard all week was, Rhys this, and Rhys that."  
  
"You did not!" Angel said, her cheeks stained pink.  
  
"No? Well, maybe that was just in my head then." Gaige winked at Rhys, saluting him with her cybernetic arm. “See you around, Mr. Badass.”

“Bye, Rhys!” Angel said, hugging him around his knees. “I’ll see you later.”

Rhys smiled like an idiot all the way back up to the office, and he couldn’t care less.  


* * *

  
“Rhysie, take a look at this.” Jack called to Rhys, pulling him from a fascinating report on slag experimentation in the medical field. He had found it was easier to zone out during Jack’s meetings, since they hardly concerned him and were often way outside his clearance level.

“Yes, sir?” Rhys asked, feeling the scientist’s eyes on him as he approached the desk.

“What do you think of this gun?” Jack asked, gesturing to the image on the monitor. Rhys balked.

“I don’t really know a lot about guns, sir.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Jack said, waving Rhys’ concerns aside. “I want a layman’s impression. Does this look like the kind of gun that would make someone wet their pants?”

“I don’t really…wait.” Rhys said, really looking at the image on the screen, unconsciously leaning forward across Jack’s desk to get a better look. “I’ve seen this design before.”

“Impossible.” The scientist scoffed. “This project has been classified for weeks.”  
  
"No, I’ve _definitely_ seen this design before.” Rhys insisted, squinting at the screen. “Hang on. This is the B4D455."

"What?"  
  
"This gun. It's the B4D455, with like, four adjustments, painted a different color. Didn't you trash that project three weeks ago?" Rhys asked Jack, only just realizing how close he was to the CEO and quickly putting space between them.  
  
"How the hell would you know that, Rhysie? You only started Monday." Jack asked sharply.  
  
"I...uh."  
  
"Come on. Speak up, cupcake." Jack snapped. "I don't have all day."  
  
"I spent last night reviewing what my predecessor had on file for ongoing projects. There was a note saying how for a gun called "badass", it wasn't very intimidating, which piqued my curiosity. Turns out he was right." It had been an interesting read, and a good laugh, which is why Rhys even remembered it. "But this is definitely the same gun, with a few ineffective add-ons.”

"Ineffective?" The scientist spluttered. "We increased the firing rate by over forty percent!"  
  
"Yeah, and it'll burn the fingers off of anyone holding the barrel. It's gonna overheat the system within three reloads. It's one of the reasons the initial design got scrapped, and you're trying to pass it off as an _improvement_?"  
  
"Alright, kiddos, settle down." Jack said at last. "Michaelson, is this the B4D455?"  
  
"Well, it might share some features-"  
  
"Is it or isn't it the _exact_ same gun I told you to scrap three weeks ago?" Jack repeated calmly, rising to his feet, a mad gleam in his eyes that made Rhys back away hurriedly.  
  
"I-I-I-"  
  
"You really thought you could pull a fast one on me, you lazy, scum-sucking prick!?" Jack snarled, pulling his revolver from his holster and aiming it at the dithering scientist. "I'm Handsome goddamn Jack, asshole! Nobody gets away with screwing with me!"  
  
Rhys turned his face away as the gunshot rang out, his whole body flinching away at the sound of Michaelson's body hitting the floor soon after. He nearly gagged at the smell of copper in the air, mixing unpleasantly with the gunpowder smell.  
  
"As for you." Jack said, turning to stare at Rhys. Rhys started, his eyes snapping up to the CEO in a panic, feeling dread coil in his gut.  
  
"Sorry, did I overstep?" Rhys asked, clutching his echo pad as if it could offer some protection against the wrath of the CEO. "S-Sorry sir. Won't happen again."  
  
"I hope for your sake that's not the case."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You just saved me a bunch of time and money, and if that doesn't happen again, then we have problems." Jack fell back into his imposing office chair, kicking his feet up onto his desk. "Get me Tribbet in weapons R &D, and have a cleaning crew sent for to deal with that. Asshole is leaving a mess on my floor." Jack looked at Rhys again, and Rhys had never seen that look on Jack's face, but it made warmth pool in his gut. "After that, go take a long lunch as reward. You did good, kiddo."  


* * *

 

“And he just shot him, right there?” Vaughn asked, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

“In cold blood.” Rhys said, taking a bit out of his sandwich. “Totally terrifying.”

“And he really thought he could get away with copying a scrapped project?” Yvette asked.

“Seems like. Not thinking much of anything now.” Rhys muttered.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Really.” Rhys assured them. “I think he might actually like me, at least enough to not put a bullet in my head just for giggles.”

Rhys smiled, but the moment was ruined when he heard a snide voice call out to him. “Damn, Rhys, way to ruin the dream for me.”

Yvette, Vaughn, and Rhys all grimaced, definitely  _not_ in the mood to deal with  _him_. “And I was having such a nice lunch.” Rhys groaned as Vasquez rounded the table. “What do you want, Hugo?”  
  
"I want to know what you did to trick Handsome Jack into hiring you.” Vasquez said, as casually as if asking what the cafeteria was serving that day. “Did you take credit for someone else's work or did you just flat out lie? Or was it something more…risqué?" Vasquez waggled his eyebrows, and Rhys flushed red with embarrassment and anger.

"For your information, _Hugo_ , Jack hired me because I impressed him."  
  
Vasquez laughed, loud and harsh. "You? Impressed Handsome Jack?" He gave Rhys a once over that made the cybernetic man feel like scrubbing his own skin off. "Maybe with your cocksucking skills."  
  
Rhys froze.  
  
"Come on, Rhys. How fast did you drop to your knees for him?" Vasquez sneered. "Must have been a dream come true for a sad little fanboy like you."  
  
Rhys couldn't even speak through the outrage forming a lump in his throat.  
  
"Listen, Rhys. You and I both know that the instant you stop being useful to him, he's gonna toss you aside like all the others." Vasquez smiled cruelly. "Personally, I hope he does it via airlock. It'll be nice to wave to your corpse as it floats past my window."  
  
"I think it's time for you to go, Hugo, before I report this unacceptable behavior to HR." Yvette said tightly, her stiletto beating out a staccato rhythm against the floor.  
  
"Yeah, whatever." Vasquez said with an oily smile. "I think I made my point. Later, losers."  
  
"Don't listen to him, Rhys.” Yvette said as soon as Vazquez was out of earshot. “He's just jealous 'cause you're better than him."  
  
"Yeah, the guy's an asshole, Rhys, don't worry about it."  
  
"Yeah. Yeah." Rhys said, pushing his food away. "Suddenly I'm not so hungry anymore. I'm gonna head back up."  
  
"Okay. Let us know if you need anything." Vaughn called after Rhys as he left.  


* * *

  
"Yoo-hoo." A hand appeared in his field of vision, snapping briskly. "Cupcake."  
  
"Huh?" Rhys said, forcibly pulling himself from his work daze to see Jack hovering over him, close enough that he could see the line separating his mask from his real flesh. He inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of blood, gunpowder, and aftershave that should have been vile but instead was intoxicating.  
  
"Sorry." Rhys said, shaking his head to clear it of cobwebs and dangerous thoughts. "Did you need something, sir?"  
  
"It's late, kiddo. Go home." Jack said gruffly, standing up straight now that he had Rhys' attention.  
  
"Is it?" It was always hard to tell time on Helios, surrounded as it was by eternal night, but a quick glance at the clock on his desk confirmed what Jack had said. "Are you leaving?"  
  
"Nah, I still got stuff to do. Downsides of running a company."  
  
"I don't mind staying until you leave." Rhys said, rubbing at his eyes, trying to distract himself from the uneasy feeling in his stomach. "You might need me."  
  
"Ha! Trust me kid, I'm not gonna need you."  
  
The words were innocuous, and Jack was clearly amused and not disappointed. But the only thing that really registered in Rhys' head was "not needed", and it fed into the dark, frightened part of him that insisted that if he wasn't needed, if he wasn't _useful_ , then there was no reason to keep him around. Between that and the conversation with Vasquez, Rhys could feel the oncoming storm of an anxiety attack, kept at bay by busy work, start to swell to the breaking point.  
  
"Whoa, kid, you just got like, ten shades paler. You okay?" Jack said, his voice sounding far away to Rhys' ears. "Kiddo? Rhys?"  
  
Rhys tried to pull himself together, at least enough to tell Jack that he was fine, but his throat was suddenly too tight to speak.  
  
"Rhysie, talk to me. What the hell is going on with you?" Jack said, his voice sharp, and the panic in Rhys' chest amped up a few notches. Now he was certainly going to get airlocked, and Vasquez would be right.  
  
"Rhysie? Rhys!" Jack was shouting now, and Rhys couldn't do anything but sit there and do nothing. "Fuck, MAYA!"  
  
"What is it?" Maya was in the office in the next instant, and Rhys closed his eyes, humiliated. Not only was death almost guaranteed at this point, but now there'd be a witness. Another person who's last memory of him would be this pathetic display of ineptitude.  
  
"I need an assist here, Rhys is freaking me the fuck out!"  
  
"What the hell did you do to him, Jack?" Maya snapped, and if Rhys had been listening to anything other than the blood pounding in his ears, he would have heard the undercurrent of concern in her voice.  
  
"I didn't do anything! I was trying to get him to go home and then this shit started!"  
  
Why couldn't he snap out of it? Maybe he could talk his way out of the situation, explain his behavior somehow, if only he could get a fucking grip.  
  
"Rhys? Rhys, can you hear me?" Rhys flinched away from the hand she placed on his shoulder. Maya retracted it at once. "Sorry, sorry. Just...Nod if you can hear me." Maya said.  
  
He could do that, right? Rhys jerkily moved his head up and down.  
  
"Do you know where you are right now?"  
  
Another nod. It was all he could think about, how he was wasting his last moments in the office of his idol, acting totally pathetic. God, Jack must be so disappointed...but he'd have to care about Rhys to be disappointed, and why should he care?  
  
"Can you tell me what's happening? It's alright if you can't."  
  
Rhys gave a barely perceptible shake of his head, the tight feeling in his chest growing worse by the second as his breathing sped up, trying to get air into lungs that felt two sizes too small.  
  
"Shh. That's alright." Maya said. "Jack, get Rhys some water or something. Stop hovering."  
  
"I didn't mean to break the guy."  
  
"Get. Some. Water."  
  
"I'm going, I'm going! Jesus..." Jack muttered, disappearing into the executive suite, grumbling irritably under his breath.  
  
"There. Is that better?"  
  
Marginally. At least his doom wasn't literally hovering over him now. But it was only prolonging the inevitable at this point, and Rhys knew it.  
  
"Can you open your eyes for me?"  
  
Why? So he could see the disappointment, the pity?  He'd rather not.  
  
"Rhys? Please?"  
  
He didn't want to.  
  
"I'm not judging you, I promise. I want you to see that." Maya said. "I want you to see that it's just me."  
  
...She sounded sincere. And at this point, what did he have to lose? He opened his eyes at last. Maya was on her knees in front of him, and he couldn't see anything close to pity in her face. In fact, her expression was mostly blank and tranquil, but with fierce concern shining in her eyes.  
  
"There we go, see? Just you and me." Maya said. "Is it okay if I check your pulse?"  
  
Rhys nodded, and Maya leaned forward to place cool fingers against his neck. The contact was grounding, distracting him from the electric feeling under his skin.  
  
"Does this happen often?" Maya asked in an undertone. "Do you take anything for this?"  
  
Rhys shook his head in response to both questions. The tremors had begun in his human hand, and he clenched it into a tight fist to hide it, short nails digging into his palm.  
  
"Okay. You're doing great, Rhys. I want you to start taking deep breaths, as deep as you can, okay?"  
  
Rhys shakily obeyed, and after a few excruciating breaths, felt his heartbeat start to level out once more.  
  
"That's good, good job." Maya encouraged, taking her hand away. "Can you try talking?"  
  
"I..." He swallowed, his voice hoarse and raspy. "I'm sorry."  
  
"You don't have anything to apologize for."  
  
"He's gonna fire me." Rhys whispered, dread curling in his gut at the thought.  
  
"He's really not, Rhys. You just scared him a bit." Rhys let out a slightly hysterical laugh. Handsome Jack, scared of him? "Do you know what set you off?"  
  
"I..." He couldn't tell her. He couldn't tell her about Vasquez, or about...the other thing. They wouldn't understand, they wouldn't be able to see how important it was to be useful, to have purpose. "I just want to do a good job." He said at last. Let them think him needy. It was better that than broken.  
  
"You're doing great. Seriously. You caught that brainiac trying to pull a fast one on him, in the first week! y'know, most of his impulse hires don't make it past the first day? You're doing so well. He's really impressed with you."  
  
"What happens when I stop impressing him? Or when I fuck up?" Rhys asked quietly, his hands fisting into the fabric of his pants. "what happens when I stop being useful?"  
  
"Despite all the things you've heard, I can assure you he's not gonna throw you out an airlock, Rhys. He saves that for traitors, and people who say mean things to Angel." Maya focused silver grey eyes on his own mismatched pair. "You planning on being one of those?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then you're fine."  
  
"Can I come back now?" Jack's voice called irritably. Maya looked to Rhys, who nodded.  
  
"Yeah, but try being less of a douchebag than usual, kay?" Maya said, and there was a note of steel to the teasing jab that gave Rhys pause. "I know it'll be difficult, but give it a whirl."  
  
"You're hilarious." Jack deadpanned, rolling his eyes as he entered the office, tossing a water bottle at Maya, who caught it nimbly and handed it to Rhys. "You okay, kiddo?"  
  
Rhys nodded silently, unable to meet Jack's eyes as he downed the water.  
  
"Yeah, okay." Jack said, disbelievingly. "Go home. Get some rest." Rhys nodded again, gathering his bag and heading towards the door.  
  
"Rhysie!" Jack called, stopping Rhys in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder, still afraid to trust his voice. "I'll see you Monday." Jack said firmly.  
  
Rhys walked out, the doors sliding closed behind him.  
  
"You know what a panic attack looks like." Maya said, suspicion in her voice. "And I know you have experience dealing with them."

"Didn't expect him of all people to have one."  
  
"Jack-"  
  
"What? He always seemed so on top of things, and sure, he's a little more scared of me than I'd like, but I didn't expect him to-" Jack shut his mouth, his teeth grinding against each other. "I just didn't expect it."  
  
" _Wow_. If I didn't know better, I'd say you had a little crush on the kid." Maya teased, nudging his shoulder with hers.  
  
"Shut up." Jack growled, nudging her back with more force. "I'm impressed by him, okay? Kid’s a natural at this shit. Best PA I've had in years." He paused, his eyes flicking back to the door. "You think he'll be alright?"  
  
"You want my opinion?" Maya asked. Jack nodded. "Well, the kid's understandably nervous about the wastes of PA's you've gone through in recent history. I think he's worried if he's not leagues above the rest, he'll get tossed aside. My advice would be to keep him feeling useful, so he doesn't have time to worry about whether or not you'll turn on him."  
  
"Useful, huh?" Jack repeated, scratching his chin in thought. "I can arrange that."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween, y'all! Have a chapter to celebrate this glorious holiday that I am unable to celebrate in the manner to which I am accustomed (baking overnight blows, guys. it blows hard.)  
> Special thanks to justheretothink over on tumblr who has been betaing for me, and to everyone who commented and made me make inarticulate sounds of delight.


	4. Chapter 4

"Whoa, dude." Vaughn said as he and Yvette entered Rhys’ apartment, finding Rhys curled up on the sofa, wrapped in a comforter. "I'd forgotten how nice your new place is."  
  
"Huh? Oh, right." Rhys mumbled, casting a cursory glance around the spacious room. His new residence was a definite upgrade from the hole-in-the-wall apartment he had shared with Vaughn. The decor was sleek, modern, with black and chrome appliances in his kitchen, and soft upholstery on all the furniture. It should have been comforting, but without other people in it, it just felt lonely. Hence calling Vaughn and Yvette. "It's alright, I guess."  
  
"So what happened, exactly?" Yvette asked gently, sitting at Rhys' left and running her fingers through his hair while Vaughn collapsed on Rhys' other side. "You were kind of vague when you echoed us."  
  
"I might never leave this room again." Rhys moaned, resting his head on Yvette's shoulder. "I'm so incredibly humiliated."  
  
"What happened?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"I had a panic attack. Right in front of Handsome fucking Jack and his terrifying not-secretary." Rhys mumbled into Yvette's shoulder.  
  
"Oh, Rhys..." Yvette said, her voice reassuring and soft. "There's no reason to be embarrassed about that. It can happen to anybody-"  
  
"But it shouldn't happen to me. There was no reason, no explanation-" He stopped himself before he could fly into a rant, his head buzzing unpleasantly. "They were supposed to stop when I left Pandora." He muttered.  
  
"You know that's not how anxiety works." Vaughn reminded him, nudging his shoulder against Rhys.  
  
"I left everything and everyone I was anxious about down there, where they couldn't affect me anymore." Rhys insisted, wrapping the comforter tighter around himself. "They weren't supposed to come with me." He repeated.  
  
"Working for Handsome Jack would make anyone nervous." Vaughn pointed out, his body a line of heat against Rhys' side. "I mean, I don't even work directly for him and I'm scared shitless of the guy. I don't know how you managed to survive working in the same room as him for a week-"  
  
"Not. Helping." Yvette hissed when Rhys tensed under her hand.  
  
"Oh. Right. Shutting up now." Vaughn said hurriedly. "Want some ice cream, bro?"  
  
"The answer to that question is always yes, and you know that." Rhys grumbled, poking at Vaughn’s thigh with his toes. "Go get it."  
  
"Yeesh, Jack's rubbing off on you already." Vaughn teased, getting to his feet. "You start calling me cupcake and I'm calling an intervention." He yelled as he made his way to the kitchen.  
  
Rhys sighed, leaning into Yvette's gentle touches, his mind drifting until Vaughn returned with the carton of ice cream with three spoons stuck inside it.  
  
"How am I supposed to show my face on Monday?" Rhys asked dully once they all settled back on the sofa, digging into the ice cream.  
  
"You're Rhys." Yvette said. "You've faced down worse things than Handsome Jack. You'll be fine."  
  
\-----  
  
Useful. Jack thought, tapping his fingers against his arm as he rode the elevator down to his office. How the hell was he supposed to make what was by far the most useful employee he had feel even more useful?  
  
Jack had been pondering this question for two days now, and still had not come up with what he thought was a suitable answer. The problem lay in his own paranoia. He couldn't think of anything he was willing to trust the kid with beyond what he'd already given him. But the kid was way too useful for Jack to just ignore the problem.  
  
Ugh. He didn't have nearly enough coffee in his system for this.  
  
"Morning, bluebird." Jack said to Maya as he entered the lobby. He stopped at the look of concern on her face. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Rhys has been here since before I got here."  
  
"What? When did you get here? He's not supposed to be in for another hour."  
  
"I got here an hour ago."  
  
"Two hours early?" Jack said, glancing at the door. "That's just ridiculous."  
  
"I think he's still freaked out about what happened on Friday." Maya said. "Go easy on him."  
  
"I'll try." Jack said, squaring his shoulders before walking into his office. "RHYS!" He called.  
  
"H-Handsome Jack, sir!" Rhys said, jumping up from his desk and bringing over a steaming mug of coffee. "There's breakfast waiting for you on your desk, and I've optimized the schedule for the next couple of days and made some notes on the R&D project meeting you have today-"  
  
"Stop. Just stop and breathe for a second, for fuck's sake, you're gonna pass out if you keep running your mouth like that."  
  
Wow. So much for going easy on the kid. Rhys immediately shut his mouth, his eyes fixed on the ground as he tried to make himself as small as possible.  
  
"I meant..." Jack sighed, taking a gulp of his coffee to give himself time to choose his words carefully. It was the perfect temperature, as always when Rhys made it, hot enough to scald the inside of his mouth, waking him up.  
  
"What's going on with you?" He finally asked. "Why are you here so fucking early?"  
  
"A-Am I not supposed to be?" Rhys asked, his eyes wide with fear. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know, I won't do it again-"  
  
"That's not-" Ugh, this nice guy thing was not his forte, and he only seemed to be winding the kid up even tighter. "That's not what I meant." He looked at Rhys critically, seeing the dark circles under his eyes and the irregular twitch in his human hand. "Did you sleep at all in the past two days?"  
  
"Of course, sir." _Wow_ , the kid was a terrible liar.  
  
"Uh-huh. That's why you look like death warmed over." Jack said with a roll of his eyes. "I have half a mind to send you home-"  
  
"NO!"  
  
Jack stopped, staring at Rhys who clapped a hand over his mouth, as if that could stop him from shouting again. "I am so, so sorry sir, I didn't mean to shout-"  
  
"Sit down." Jack said, pointing to the couch situated in the corner of the room. Rhys obeyed quickly, perching on the edge of the cushion, keeping his head low.  
  
"Look, kiddo. I'm not trying to make you freak out. Believe me. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on in your head right now. You're acting all...weird." Jack said, pacing in front of the couch.  
  
"I just...wanted to apologize for my unprofessional behavior on Friday." Rhys said, sounding like he had practiced this phrase all weekend. "I assure you, it won't happen again, sir."  
  
"Wait." Jack said, waving his hands, stopping dead in his tracks. " _That's_ why you're being weird? You think I'm mad about _that_?"  
  
"I'm sorry, sir?"  
  
"Man, how much of an _asshole_ do you think I am, that I would get angry at you for having a freaking panic attack?"  
  
"Sorry, I-"  
  
"Stop friggin APOLOGIZING!" Jack snapped, his voice rising without his permission. Rhys flinched, trying to brace himself for whatever Jack intended to do to him.  
  
"No, don't-" Jack groaned, collapsing back onto the couch with a sigh, running his hands across his face. "Oh, son of a taint."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Look, kiddo, you don't have to apologize for things you can't control. Things you can, sure, but..." He waved his hand aimlessly. "Not that."  
  
"But-"  
  
"And if anyone's going to apologize for what happened..." Jack laughed hollowly. "Well, it sure isn't _you_."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I reacted badly, and I shouldn't have yelled at you. I...I know what anxiety attacks can be like, and even though your methods of coping may be different than mine, I...shouldn't have reacted the way I did." Ugh, apologizing was _not_ his strong suit, but it needed to be done. "I honestly didn't mean to freak you out, kid." Jack said. "I just thought you might want to go home. You did great all week, and I wanted to reward that." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Kinda backfired on me."  
  
"I-"  
  
"But what I don't want is you running yourself into the ground or constantly freaking yourself out because you think I'm gonna turn on you like a rabid skag. I'm not."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Do you know why I hired you as my assistant, Rhys?"  
  
Rhys waited, but Jack seemed actually want his input this time. "Because Angel asked you to." Rhys answered.  
  
"Partially, yes. But it was also because of how you stood up to me. You put yourself right in my line of fire, and you didn't even flinch." Jack grinned, an actual pleased smile. "I was really impressed, Rhys."  
  
"You...were?"  
  
"It takes a lot of guts to stand up to me. And you did it on reflex. And then you sassed me like, right after too." Jack said with a chuckle. “It was refreshing, to say the least.”  
  
"But I thought-"  
  
"Rhysie, if I wanted a yes-man bootlicker, I would have one. Every one of my former assistants has been a complete doormat, and none of them have been able to keep up with me." Jack sat up straighter, his eyes intent on Rhys, like nothing else mattered. At least that's how it felt to the cybernetic man. "But you...you're not like any assistant I've ever had, Rhysie. Trust me when I say it would take a lot for me to turn on you."  
  
Rhys tried not to let himself read too much into that, because no good could come of having a giant crush on your boss. But the way Jack was looking at him, and the way he explained himself to Rhys, like he needed Rhys to understand... It was making him dizzy.  
  
"Look, we're a team, kiddo. You and me, we gotta be on the same wavelength here." Jack swallowed, schooling his face into something pleasant and not the pained grimace he wanted to make. "So here's my idea. You tell me your boundaries, and I'll do the same. How does that sound?"  
  
"Boundaries?"  
  
"Yeah, topics, buzzwords, situations. Just let me know where the soft spots are so I can avoid them, and I will." Crap, the kid looked unsure about this plan, which meant Jack was going to have to step up to the plate. "I can start, if you want."  
  
"You start?"  
  
"Yeah. I figured if you know the things that make me go homicidal, you can know to avoid them, and you won't be freaking out about accidentally pissing me off." He raised his eyebrows at Rhys pointedly. "That is what you're worried about, right?"  
  
"I mean...kind of?"  
  
"See. Communication." Oh, he did _not_ want to do this, but if this is what Rhys needed... "Don't...don't ever ask me about Angel's mother. Don't even mention her. _Ever_. Got it?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Pretty sure I told you to call me Jack." Jack said, nudging Rhys’ shoe with his own.  
  
"Sorry, sir-Jack, I meant Jack." Rhys said quickly.  
  
"There ya go. You already know about Angel, and I know you wouldn't let anything happen to her, so..." He waved his hand. "The other main one is don't ask me about the mask. I don't…like talking about it."  
  
"Alright." Rhys said, and amazingly, he did feel much calmer, knowing the things that would set Jack off giving him a sense of pride, that Jack wanted Rhys to feel comfortable and trusted him enough to tell him these things.  
  
"Now what about you, Rhysie? What should I be avoiding, so we can have less anxiety attacks around the office?"  
  
"I don't really have any boundaries." Rhys admitted. "Friday was a freak occurrence. I haven't had anxiety attacks like that since I left home."  
  
"Home life less than perfect? I've been there." Jack muttered, studying Rhys intently. "You sure I didn't set you off?"  
  
"I mean...there was this one thing with a coworker over lunch. He said some...things that got under my skin, and when you said you didn't need me-"  
  
"What sort of things did this coworker say?" Jack asked, his voice a growl. "Do I need to-"  
  
"No, no, it's nothing, just some workplace harassment. I'm fine." Rhys assured Jack, seeing that look in his eye that said someone was going to die soon. His heart fluttered, seeing that look in Jack's eyes not _because_ _of_ Rhys, but _for_ Rhys.  
  
"You're sure, cupcake?" Jack insisted, leaning forward. "It’d be no trouble for me to toss him out an airlock, or into the stalker enclosures. Might even be therapeutic."  
  
"I'm really fine, Jack." Rhys said, that warm feeling growing into a full blush that stained his cheeks red. "But thanks anyway."  
  
"Alright. If you say so." Jack grumbled, looking disbelieving and a little bit murderous still. "But let me know if you change your mind."  
  
"Believe me, you will be the first to know."  
  
"Hey. We're a team kiddo. And you can ask anyone. I _always_ look out for my team."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I almost burst into tears every time I read the comments, and it's all your fault, guys. You're all so SUPPORTIVE and NICE and I AM NOT EQUIPPED TO HANDLE THIS, GOD!!  
> (But by all means, keep doing it. :) )  
> If I get another chapter out before Monday at the earliest, I'll be shocked. I've got a major project due for my culinary class, and I'm working overnight all weekend long. Sadness. But the more comments I get, the more inspired I am to forgo sleep. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

"Well, now that all this feelings talk is out of the way, let's get going, cupcake." Jack said after a few moments of companionable silence, getting to his feet with a grunt.  
  
"Going? Where are we going?" Rhys asked, confused by the sudden change in topic.  
  
"I like to drop in unannounced to different departments every now and then. Keeps them on their toes, puts the fear of God and me into them." Jack said as he straightens his rumpled jacket, smoothing back his hair with one hand. "Today feels like a good day for that."  
  
"Okay, that sounds...unnecessary."  
  
"But fun."  
  
Rhys thought that was debatable, but didn't really feel like arguing with Jack about that. "Alright. So what do you need me for? If anything I should be staying here, to rearrange your schedule. Again."  
  
"Nah, you can do that later. I want you with me. We can laugh at the looks of terror on their faces together. It'll be fun."  
  
"Fun for you."  
  
"Isn't that all that matters?" Jack asked with a cheeky grin. "Let's go cupcake, time's a wastin'!"  


* * *

  
"Welcome to Weapons Development, cupcake!"  
  
Rhys gaped at the expansive, hangar like room, sectioned off into different areas, with an expansive shooting range spanning the back wall, intersperse with targets of varying sizes and difficulties. Aside from the Hub of Heroism, it was probably the biggest room on Helios he had ever been in.  
  
"H-Handsome Jack, sir!" The closest scientist stammered, dropping his clipboard. Rhys was starting to see how the constant gibbering could really get on Jack's nerves.  
  
"Yes, I know, it's such an honor, you weren’t expecting me, blah blah blah. Save the sycophancy and get me Gladstone. I wanna shoot some guns."  
  
"Of course sir, right this way. I'll have someone show your assistant to the-"  
  
"What are you talking about, Rhysie's coming with me."  
  
"Are you sure about that, sir? The prototypes are highly confidential-"  
  
Rhys twitched, but stepped away in what he thought was a gracious manner. "It's alright, I'll just head back up to the office, sir-"  
  
Jack grabbed Rhys by the sleeve, dragging him back without even glancing at him, his eyes hard as he glared at the scientist.  
  
"Don't even think about listening to this asshole, Rhysie. You're more important than him, and he knows it." Jack growled to the cybernetic man. The scientist, realizing he had made a big mistake, shrank under the gaze of the CEO, cowering behind his clipboard. " _You_ , if you know what's good for you, you'll stop insulting my assistant here and get on with showing me the goods."  
  
"Yes, sir. Right away, sir."  
  
"Ugh, you're the worst." Jack groaned, pushing past the scientist, dragging Rhys behind him. "Come on, Rhysie, let's blow stuff up."  
  
"It's really no trouble, I don't want to be in the way-" Rhys said, stumbling over his own feet.  
  
"Shush, Rhysie, I'm ignoring you now." Jack said as they reached a very disorganized work station manned by a thin man wearing goggles on top of his spikey brown hair. The man looked up when Jack approached, and unlike every other scientist, seemed genuinely glad to see Jack.  
  
"Gladstone, my man! How ya doin' champ?" Jack boomed, shaking the man’s hand vigorously over the table.  
  
"Doing okay, Jack, mate!" Gladstone said, his eyes on Rhys. "Who's this, now?"  
  
"Gladstone, Rhys, Rhysie, Gladstone. Now enough with introductions, show me some shiny new toys, Gladdy."  
  
"You got it, sir." Gladstone said with a salute, disappearing underneath his desk for a moment before reappearing with an intimidating gun held in his hands.  
  
"Hohoho, yes." Jack cackled, taking the gun from the scientist. "This is what I'm talking about." He spun on his heel, aiming the gun at the nearest target and blasting it into burning smithereens. "You always get me the nicest things, Gladdy." Jack purred, stroking the barrel of the gun almost lovingly. "This one's going in my armory, baby."  
  
"Glad you like it, sir."  
  
"Whatcha got that's more...understated? I'm thinking of getting Rhysie here outfitted."  
  
"What?" Rhys yelped, but was once again ignored.  
  
"Understated? Hmm. Lemme see what I've got in the back." Gladstone said, heading off to a large vault-like door embedded in the wall.  
  
"Jack, you really don't need to give me a gun." Rhys said under his breath.  
  
"Aw, but I want to, Rhysie. Consider it a 'Sorry-I-made-you-flip-out' bonus."  
  
"Jack, really, you don't have to-"  
  
"What about this, sir?" Gladstone said, returning with a ridiculously tiny pistol in his hands, and Rhys didn't know whether to laugh or be offended.  
  
"That little peashooter? I said understated, not underwhelming." Jack snapped.  
  
"It might not look like much, but it packs a big punch, sir." Gladstone said, spinning the small barrel. "Each bullet can be charged with either fire, lightning, or corrosive elemental effects, or it can be used like your average gun."  
  
"Huh. Give it here." Jack said, and Gladstone obliged. Jack aimed the gun at another nearby target and fired a green tinged bullet that caused the target to smoke and sizzle, slowly melting into a pile of blackened goo.  
  
"Nice." Jack said with a low whistle.  
  
"Best part is, because of its size, you can put it on a spring loaded holster in your sleeve, for quick drawing."  
  
"I'll admit, it's growing on me." Jack said thoughtfully, spinning the gun between his fingers. "Rhysie, come here." He barked, making Rhys jump. "Take a shot at the targets for me, would ya, cupcake? I wanna see how it handles for you."  
  
"I...I don't, uh..."  
  
"Come on, what's the problem?" Jack asked, impatient.  
  
"I don't know how to shoot a gun." Rhys admitted, feeling a blush start to stain his cheeks.  
  
"Aren't you from Pandora? How the hell do you not know how to shoot a gun?" Jack asked, incredulous.  
  
"I lived a sheltered life." Rhys said with a shrug. "And I don't like guns."  
  
"Well, you may not like them, but if you're running with me, you need to know how to shoot one. Come here." Jack said, pulling Rhys closer to himself, arranging him as he saw fit with his arms up and the gun in his hands aimed at the target. "It's got a little bit of a kick, so you want to brace yourself on your back leg and let the recoil go through you. Don't try to tense up, you'll end up smacking yourself in the face. Just relax, aim, and shoot. Got it?"  
  
"Maybe?" Rhys said, his eyes on the target as his palm started to sweat.  
  
"Just pull the trigger, Rhysie."  
  
Rhys obeyed, the shock coursing through his arms as the bullet hurtled toward the target, just barely hitting the outer ring.  
  
"Not bad for your first shot, but we can do better. Here."  
  
And suddenly Jack was plastered against Rhys' back, his breath warm against Rhys' neck. Rhys held his breath, not daring to move a muscle, as Jack adjusted his grip on the gun, humming a little tune under his breath.  
  
"There." He said, and God, his voice sounded _so_ _damn_ _good_ , curling into Rhys' ear and making him shudder. "Relax, kiddo, nothin to be scared of." Jack said, completely misinterpreting Rhys' shiver.  
  
"Except you and the gun in my hands." Rhys muttered under his breath.  
  
"Nah, the gun isn't gonna hurt you." Jack said, his hands dropping to Rhys' waist as he angled his body better. "And you don't have any reason to be scared of me, kiddo."  
  
"Says you."  
  
"Yeah, says me." Jack growled, and Rhys felt the rumble of his chest directly against his spine.  
  
"Now. Breathe."  
  
Rhys exhaled shakily.  
  
"And squeeze."  
  
Bang.  
  
The target at the end of the range exploded, the bullet hitting dead center.  
  
"Excellent shot, pumpkin." Jack purred into Rhys' ear, making Rhys' spine melt a bit. "We'll make a gun man outta you yet."  


* * *

  
Rhys was looking forward to a relaxing evening after his stressful day at work. He entered his apartment, fully prepared to kick his feet up, call up Vaughn and Yvette, and spend the evening watching cheesy ECHOcasts on his new TV...  
  
And all of that went out the window when he nearly tripped over the package sitting right inside the door.  
  
"Son of a bitch..." Rhys groaned, rubbing his bruised shins. "Where did that even come from...?"  
  
It was a medium sized, unassuming box, upon which was scrawled "Rhysie" in block handwriting. Rhys gaped at it for a moment before activating his ECHOcom.  
  
"Uh, Jack?"  
  
"Hey, cupcake, you dressed yet?" Jack replied, and Rhys looked up, praying for patience.  
  
"Dressed for what, what the hell is this?" Rhys asked, sidestepping around the package with trepidation.  
  
"Oh, didn't I tell you? My bad." Rhys could practically see the shit eating grin spreading across Jack's face. "I need you at this thing tonight."  
  
Thing tonight? Rhys pulled up Jack's schedule on his ECHOeye and blanched.  
  
"You need me at the Investors’ Gala? The one that only the board members and department heads are invited to? That thing?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Jack. I can't go to that."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I'm just your assistant, Jack." Rhys said, and he was not shouting, which he was very proud of himself for, but there was a tinge of a whine to his voice that he wished wasn’t there.  
  
"Who cares? I want you there, does anything else matter?"  
  
" _Why_? What reason could you possibly have to have me at this thing?"  
  
"Plausible reason to leave conversations. I just say, ‘Oh my PA is flagging me down, must be something important, bye’ and then I walk away."  
  
"Couldn't you just walk away regardless?" Rhys asked.  
  
"Somehow, when I do this, they don't bother me again for the rest of the night. It's weird."  
  
"They're probably worried you'll kill them if they interrupt you again."  
  
"Huh. Probably." Jack admitted. "Whatever. Get dressed and get moving, cupcake. I'll be waiting." Jack purred before hanging up.  
  
Rhys stared at his palm, his mouth open in shock. This was going to be a long, long night.  


* * *

  
Rhys felt very, very out of place, standing in the expensive ballroom on a floor he had never been too, dressed head to toe in the all black outfit Jack had sent him. The hall was filled with people dressed to the nines, complementing the lavish room they found themselves in. Rhys knew he had already given himself away as a newcomer by spending a few seconds staring open mouthed at the ceiling, which had a beautiful supernova projected onto the expanse.

But even he had to admit he loved the feel of the supple material of his new outfit on his skin, the pants that hugged every curve of his long legs, the jacket that made his shoulders seem broader than they really were, the buttons shined mirror bright and sparkling, the tight, stylish boots making him feel tall and impressive. He exhaled shakily, searching the crowd for his boss and trying not to seem too plebeian.  
  
"There you are, kiddo!" Jack said, making Rhys nearly jump out of his skin. He gave a low wolf whistle, circling him from behind, his eyes raking over Rhys appreciatively. "Damn, you look good, Rhysie. I have great taste, don't I?"  
  
"I feel ridiculous, you dressed me like a super villain." Rhys hissed, even though he sort of agreed with Jack. He did look pretty good.  
  
"A very hot super villain. All you need is something small and fluffy to pet while you crush your enemies." Jack teased, snagging a champagne flute from a passing server. "Come on, it's a party, Rhysie. Relax a bit." He said, forcing the glass into Rhys' hands.  
  
"Now, here's the deal, cupcake. You can mingle on your own if you like, I'll be mostly stuck schmoozing investors, but keep an eye out for me, and if it looks like I'm about to start shooting things, come over and say there's been an emergency. Got it?"  
  
"Got it." Rhys said, nodding resolutely.  
  
"I know you won't let me down, Rhysie." Jack said with a grin, clapping Rhys on the shoulder. "Enjoy the buffet, but don't get too sloshed on me."  
  
"Unlikely." Rhys muttered to himself, downing the champagne in a single gulp. Growing up on Pandoran moonshine had given him an alcohol tolerance to rival that of an alpha skag. It would take a lot more than a few glasses of bubbly to put him out of sorts.  
  
"Excuse me, have you seen Handsome Jack?" A balding, middle aged man in an expensive suit asked Rhys. "I could have sworn I saw him over here."  
  
"Just missed him." Rhys said, holding out his cybernetic hand for the man to shake. "Hi, I'm his assistant."  
  
"Oh, uh. Wow, that's...something." The man said, his hand jerking away from Rhys' metal one before they could touch. "Those are some...interesting enhancements you've got there, son."  
  
Rhys said nothing, his hand falling back towards his side as a cold feeling traveled down his spine. In this day and age, it wasn't often he met people who still carried the social stigma against cybernetics, but when he did, it cut much deeper than he'd like to admit.  
  
"Yeah. Excuse me, sir, I think I left something by the buffet."  
  
He was going to need a whole lot more champagne to even come close to enjoying this evening.

* * *

  
"Rhysie, there you are, I've been looking everywhere for you." Jack's voice growled in his ear, shaking him from his thoughts. He looked away from the expanse of space he had been staring at through the bay window to see Jack hovering very close to him, a tight, angry look on his face.  
  
"Is something wrong, sir?" Rhys said, unnerved by the frown on Jack's face.  
  
"Yeah, no." Jack grumbled, rubbing his hand over his face. "Just...do me a favor, Rhysie. Don't stray too far from me for the rest of the night, okay?"  
  
"Why? Is something wrong?"  
  
"I don't like the looks you're getting, pumpkin."  
  
"I...what?" There was no way Jack had been anywhere near him when that guy had cringed away from his cybernetics. "What looks?"  
  
"You haven't noticed how everyone's looking at you like a cut of steak, just ready to be eaten?"  
  
Rhys stared at Jack open mouthed, before hysterical laughter bubbled up inside of him. He tried to stifle it but it burst out of him, and soon everyone around them was staring as Handsome Jack's assistant totally lost it.  
  
"I don't think they're looking at _me_ like that, Jack." Rhys said, when he composed himself, chuckles still escaping him at random intervals. The self-deprecating note in his voice did not escape Jack, and the sound of it grated on Jack's nerves something awful. "But whatever floats your boat, sir."  
  
"Why wouldn't they be looking at you, Rhysie?" Jack asked sharply. "You're real easy on the eyes, cupcake, especially in that get up."  
  
"I...thank you?" Rhys said, wondering if he was more affected by the champagne than he thought. There was no way he was having this conversation with Handsome Jack, of all people. "But I don't think they're looking at me because of that. I'd guess they're wondering what the hell a... _one_ - _armed_ _cyclops_ is doing hanging around you." He said wryly, remembering the name Vasquez used to call him. Vasquez had also been one of those people who were uncomfortable with his enhancements.  
  
Rhys turned to flag down a server, needing to chase away the tight feeling in his chest with more bubbly champagne, when Jack's hand grabbed him by the front of his shirt, dragging him closer to the CEO.  
  
"Who the _fuck_ called you that?" Jack growled, and there was rage, _actual_  homicidal rage in his eyes as he searched Rhys' face.  
  
"I...No one! Jack-" Rhys gasped, genuinely scared now.  
  
"I don't ever want to hear you say something like that again, do you understand me?" Jack growled.  
  
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." Rhys said quickly.  
  
"Don't apologize." Jack snarled, releasing Rhys and turning away. "Just don't...don't say shit like that. I won't have anyone insulting my team, especially not a _member_ of my team." He looked back at Rhys, then began adjusting his now rumpled shirt, pulling him close enough for Rhys to smell his expensive cologne. "You're better than that, Rhysie."  
  
Rhys didn't know what to say to that, and thankfully, due to the ringing of his ECHOdevice, he didn't have to.  
  
"I...I need to-" he mumbled, waving his hand awkwardly.  
  
"Go, go. Just not too far. Might need you to rescue me."  
  
Rolling his eyes at the thought of Handsome Jack needing rescuing by _him,_  Rhys walked away, pulling up the display on his arm as he did so.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Rhys, you gotta help me!" Said the face of the panicking teenager filling the screen.  
  
" _Gaige_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that, five days early and I still got to sleep! :D I know, I know, I'm a horrible person for stopping on that cliffhanger, but I promise to update in the next couple of days, unless disaster strikes in some awful way.  
> Thank you again for all your lovely comments and support, it truly means the world to me to read them.


	6. Chapter 6

"What happened?"  
  
"I think Angel's sick. Scratch that, I _know_ she's sick." Gaige babbled, her voice getting fast and higher with every word. "She's hotter than a Maliwan rocket launcher, but she insists that she's freezing, she can't keep anything but water down for longer than fifteen minutes, and even water is a hit or miss at this point." Gaige hiccupped violently, a whimper escaping her. "Rhys, help me, _please_ , I don't know what to do, she's never been sick before." She begged, and the sound of tears in her voice had Rhys moving in an instant, scanning the crowds for Jack.  
  
"Alright, honey, deep breaths." Rhys said, his mind racing as he formulated a plan. "What was her last temperature?"  
  
"104.3."  
  
Rhys blanched. That was very high for a young girl. "Alright, have her drink some water again, slowly, little sips at a time. Start running her a hot bath-"  
  
"A _hot_ bath? She's already hot enough!"  
  
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing, Gaige. You have to get her cooled down. Jack will be up there shortly."  
  
"It's my fault." Gaige sobbed, and Rhys' heart clenched painfully. "Jack is going to _kill_ me."  
  
"Gaige, honey, everything is going to be _fine_.” Rhys said, having finally found Jack surrounded by several members of the board. “Just do what I asked. Help is on the way." He ended the call, weaving through the crowd until he reached Jack’s side.  
  
"Sir, there's been an-"  
  
"Welp, sorry, gents. Duty calls." Jack said with a boisterous laugh, practically dragging Rhys in a random direction. "God, it took you long enough, I've been trying to flag you down for _ages_." Jack grumbled under his breath once they were far enough away. "And what did I say about sticking close to me-"  
  
"Jack, I wasn't just saying that to get you away. Gaige just called. Angel's sick."  
  
"What?" Jack grabbed Rhys by his cybernetic arm, whirling him around to face Jack head on. "Angel's sick? How sick?"  
  
"You need to go, right now." Rhys said seriously, already scanning the crowd for the members of the board. "Go on, I'll stay behind for damage control with the investors-"  
  
"She doesn't get sick." Jack insisted, and his hand was tightening around Rhys' arm enough that the metal creaked.  
  
"Apparently she does now. Look, I've already got Gaige working on breaking her fever. Does Angel have a primary physician?"  
  
"Nurse Nina."  
  
" _The_ Nurse Nina?" Rhys started to ask, but waved it off. "Whatever, I will call Nina. Go be with your daughter."  
  
Jack stared at Rhys for a moment more before his eyes hardened, and he reached into his suit jacket, pulled out a pistol, and fired a few warning shots into the air.  
  
"PARTY'S OVER! EVERYONE OUT!" Jack roared in the ensuing silence. The room erupted into chaos as every person in attendance ran for the elevators at once. Jack dragged Rhys' in the opposite direction, towards the private executive elevators, the crowd parting for him easily. "Come on pumpkin, let's go."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're coming with me."  
  
\-----  
  
Jack practically flew out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened up wide enough to let him through, Rhys following at a much less frantic, but no less purposeful pace.  
  
"Come on, come on, come ON." Jack snarled, imputing a code into a keypad beside the overly fortified door, his whole body practically vibrating with impatience as he waited for the scanner to come online. "Goddamnit, let me in!"  
  
"Unauthorized user detected." A female voice said, making Rhys jump. "Shall I neutralize the threat, sir?"  
  
"What threat, the fuck are you talking about...oh." Jack sighed gruffly, turning to glance at Rhys. "Ugh, fine." Jack grabbed Rhys by the arm and dragged him to the panel. "Felicity, input user ID, Rhys, company ID 5384927. Allow access to the penthouse, override handsome-jay-sixty-nine!"  
  
" _Seriously_ , Jack?" Rhys asked, rolling his eyes, secretly impressed that Jack knew his company ID number off the top of his head. "That's your override code?"  
  
"Shut up, Rhys."  
  
"Override accepted. Welcome, Rhys." The female voice said. "I'm Felicity."  
  
"Uh...hi?" Rhys said, perplexed. "Jack?"  
  
"Felicity is an AI." Jack explained, tapping his foot impatiently as the locks on the doors disengaged. "She's military grade, and she has control of the entire station at all times. She’s basically my eyes and ears on Helios."  
  
"Okay." Rhys said, swallowing hard. "Mental note: Don't piss off the omnipresent eye in the sky."  
  
"This one's smarter than your usual assistant fodder, Jack." Felicity said. "Normally they treat me like I'm some kind of automated maid."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, where are the girls, Felicity?" Jack barked as the door finally opened.  
  
"Master bathroom. Angel just finished her bath."  
  
"How is her temperature, Felicity?" Rhys asked while Jack ran down the hallway.  
  
"Steadily dropping. That was a good call on the hot bath."  
  
"Thank you. I need to call Nina-"  
  
"Nurse Nina has already been contacted, and is on her way."  
  
Rhys breathed a sigh of relief, walking down the hallway after Jack. Gaige darted past him with a squeak of terror, and Rhys contemplated going after her, but decided against it for now. He needed to see that Angel was all right before that tight feeling in his chest morphed into a panic. He found Jack standing frozen in the doorway, his body blocking most of the light from the bathroom.  
  
"Daddy?" Angel's voice said from within, her voice just a little bit raspy. Rhys peered over Jack's shoulder. She looked so tiny, wrapped in what looked like three different towels, her wet hair hanging limply in front of her face. "I told Gaige not to bother you." She said, her chin stubborn even as she shivered violently.  
  
"Oh, baby, _sweetheart_..." Jack said, finally moving forward and dropping to his knees in front of the girl. "What happened? You were feeling fine when I left."  
  
"No, I..." Angel coughed, her fingers going to her throat. "I didn't want to be a problem."  
  
"You're not-" Jack seemed to fight with his emotions for a moment, his fingers clenching and unclenching sporadically before he forced them to relax, brushing the long tendrils of Angel’s hair out of her face. "You're not a _problem_ , baby. How am I supposed to help you if you don't tell me what's wrong?"  
  
"I'm sorry, daddy." Angel sniffled, trembling. "I made you miss your party."  
  
"That is the absolute _last_ thing I care about right now." Jack said, pressing his hands against her face, checking her temperature for himself. "How'd you get so sick, baby?"  
  
"I ruined everything..." She whimpered, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."  
  
"No, no, you didn't, sweetheart." Jack murmured, gathering her up in his arms, towels and all. "You know I'll always be here to take care of you, no matter what. You're more important than anything."  
  
"I'm sorry..." She sobbed, over and over as Jack tried to soothe her, rubbing his huge hands over her back and murmuring reassurances in her ear.  
  
"It's alright, baby girl. Daddy's here." Jack said softly, combing his fingers through her damp hair as she cried into his shoulder. "Daddy's always gonna be here for you."  
  
Rhys walked away from where he had been hovering outside the bathroom door. He had to, or else he was pretty sure he was going to start crying himself.  
  
\----  
  
Rhys found Gaige pacing in front of the sofa, biting the nails on her flesh hand. She whirled around when he stepped into the room, visibly relaxing when she saw it was only Rhys.  
  
"Calm down Gaige, he's not going to do anything to you." Rhys admonished lightly.  
  
"You don't know that, Rhys!" Gaige whispered, her eyes wide and panicked. "Don't you remember what he did to Blake? And he only made Angel cry! I actually got her _sick_!"  
  
"Gaige, listen-"  
  
"He's gonna throw me out an airlock, or, or feed me to the stalkers or...or use me for target practice-"  
  
"Gaige, you're being ridiculous."  
  
"Fine, maybe he won't do that, but he could just as easily have me booted off Helios! And if he kicks me out? That's almost as bad as dying, if not worse." Gaige pulled at her pigtails, her eyes welling up with tears. "Jack's protection is the only thing keeping me and my family out of jail! Where will I go? Where will I be as safe as I am here?"  
  
"Gaige, _listen_ _to_ _me_!" Rhys said firmly, holding her by her shoulders and shocking her into silence. "He's not going to do anything to you. You did everything you were supposed to. You called for help, you did what you were told. You're _fine_."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts. You will go home, drink lots of water, and get some rest. We can't have you getting sick, too." Rhys ruffled her hair affectionately. "I will deal with Jack."  
  
"Rhys-"  
  
" _Trust_ me. I'm gonna protect you."  
  
Gaige lips wobbled, and she embraced Rhys around the middle, squeezing him tight. "Thank you, Rhys." She whispered, releasing Rhys before he could react. "Felicity, door?"  
  
The locks on the heavy door opened with a hiss of hydraulics, opening just far enough to let Gaige slip through the door before swinging shut behind her.  
  
"Rhys, are you alright?" Felicity asked after a few minutes of silence, Rhys staring, unmoving, at the door.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Rhys said, trying to tamp down the vaguely giddy feeling spreading through his chest. "Could you uh," he cleared his throat. "Could you let me know when she's home?"  
  
"Of course, Rhys." Felicity said pleasantly. "I have just informed Jack that Nurse Nina is entering the executive elevator as we speak, and will be here shortly."  
  
"Uh, okay." Rhys said, unsure of what to do with this information.  
  
"Rhysie." Jack called from down the hallway, where he was hovering outside Angel’s bedroom door. Rhys approached carefully, watching the set of Jack's shoulders. The man was understandable tense, his face tight.  
  
"How did you know about that thing with the bath?" Jack asked. Rhys shrugged.  
  
"It worked when I was a kid." Rhys answered. "How is she?"  
  
"Just put her to bed. Where's Gaige?"  
  
"I sent her home. She was a little...freaked out, about how you'd react."  
  
"I wouldn't...she didn't have to be _scared_ of me." Jack said, and there was a bone-deep tiredness in his face that Rhys had never seen before. "She's a good kid, and Angel loves her. I would _never_ do anything to her."  
  
"I know." Rhys said quietly. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Jack."  
  
"I just..." Jack leaned against the wall, rubbing a hand over his face. "There are so few people I actually _like_ , it...it bums me out when they're as scared of me as anyone else."  
  
"Yeah...I can see how that would...take a toll on a person." Rhys said, leaning against the wall across from Jack.  
  
"Yeah." Jack said, looking at Rhys with those bright, intense eyes. "S'Why I like you so much, Rhysie. When push comes to shove, you don't back down. Not even from me."  
  
Rhys was saved the trouble of trying to figure out a response to that by Felicity informing the two men that nurse Nina had arrived. And really, how does one even react to that?  
  
"Hello?" The trademarked voice of the muscular woman shouted.  
  
"I'm coming, woman, calm your tits." Jack muttered irritably under his breath as he and Rhys walked back towards the main room.  
  
"Where is _malyshka_?" Nina asked Jack.  
  
Jack wordlessly led Nina to Angel's room, muttering a quiet "stay here" to Rhys as he passed him.  
  
Rhys stood awkwardly, finally taking a moment to look around the penthouse. He honestly didn't know what he had been expecting. Maybe something similar to the modern, slightly intimidating décor of his office. Whatever he had thought, it wasn't anything like reality. The kitchen opened up to a large living room with plush black leather furniture. The far wall was all glass, opening up to similar view as his office, Elpis glowing brightly against the dark expanse of space. The kitchen was all dark woods and black granite, with shiny chrome appliances. The rooms were lit by a series of lights set into the very tops of the walls, and they cast a soft golden glow over everything.  
  
The penthouse felt _homey_ , and inviting, and Rhys was starting have dangerous thoughts about being welcomed back here on a regular basis.  
  
He shook his head to clear that thought. There was no indication this would be anything more than a onetime deal. Thinking it was anything more than that was foolish.  
  
"Jack is requesting your presence, Rhys." Felicity said, making Rhys jump. "Also Gaige has safely returned to her quarters."  
  
"R-Right." Rhys said. "Thank you, Felicity."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Jack and Nina were just exiting Angel's room when Rhys arrived. "Hey, kiddo." Jack said. "Can you stay with Angel while Nina and I have a chat?"  
  
"Of course." Rhys said. Jack paused while Nina walked on.  
  
"Thanks, Rhysie. I..." Jack swallowed hard. "I really appreciate you staying."  
  
"As if I could do anything else." Rhys said, not unkindly. "Try not to lose your temper with Nina."  
  
"No promises." Jack growled, squaring his shoulders as he headed down the hallway. "Holler if she needs me."  
  
Rhys smiled to himself as he entered Angel's room. The room was a light lilac color, filled to the brim with toys, stuffed animals, and what looked like a tiny work station upon which was strewn various gears, wires, and tools. Angel was swamped in a voluminous blanket, her hair thrown into a messy braid. She looked up when Rhys knocked and entered.  
  
"Hey Angel." Rhys said softly. "How do you feel?"  
  
"Where's daddy?" She asked.  
  
"He went to talk to Nurse Nina." Rhys said, reaching for the doorknob. "Do you want me to get him?"  
  
"No!" Angel yelped, her eyes tearing up again. "I caused enough trouble."  
  
"Angel..." Rhys said, admonishingly.  
  
"It's true!" She whimpered, pulling the blankets tighter around herself. "I ruined daddy's important party." She mumbled into her pillow. "Daddy always drops everything to take care of me, and then he has to work extra hard to make up for it and I don't get to see him as much..." She sniffled, and ended up coughing into her pillow. "I just make problems." She said when she caught her breath.  
  
"No you don't, honey." Rhys assured her, sitting on the edge of her bed and rubbing her back gently. "Your dad loves you, and he wants you to be safe. And you have to help him by telling him when these things happen. Or else he's gonna get really whiny, and you know who has to deal with him when he's whiny? Me. That's who." Rhys smiled at Angel's giggle. "So really, you should be helping me out here. Aren't we friends, Angel?" Rhys said, poking her in the side and pouting dramatically when she looked up at him. "Don't you wanna help me out?"  
  
"Yeah." Angel said, her voice hoarse. "We're friends." She grimaced. "My throat hurts."  
  
"Really?" Rhys said, moving closer to the bed, dropping down to a crouch beside it. "Hey, honey, can you open your mouth for me?" Rhys asked. Angel blinked at him for a moment before complying. Rhys shined the flashlight at the tip of his forefinger into her mouth. Her throat was red and inflamed, and Rhys frowned.  
  
"Thanks, hon, go ahead and close up." He told her, schooling his face into a smile and smoothing back her hair. "What kind of soup do you like, Angel?"  
  
"Not hungry."  
  
"I know, honey, but you need to eat something." Rhys insisted, his fingers gentle as he stroked her hair, smiling at how she leaned into the touch. "If I make you some soup, will you at least try it? For me?"  
  
"...okay."  
  
"That'a girl." Rhys said, brushing her forehead with his flesh hand and checking her temperature. Warm, but within acceptable levels. "Can I get you anything before I go?"  
  
"Butt Stallion." Angel said, pointing at a bright pink and purple stuffed pony on her shelf.  
  
"Butt Stallion, huh?" Rhys said, trying not to snort with laughter. "Did your daddy get you this? And name it too?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Thought so." Rhys said, bringing the toy to Angel and smiling when she cuddled it instantly. "If you need anything, tell Felicity and she'll get me or your dad. I don't want you hurting your throat trying to call for us, okay?"  
  
"Okay, Rhys."  
  
"Get some rest, sweetie. I'll be back soon with your soup."  
  
"M'kay." She mumbled, already half asleep. "Can you tell daddy I love him for me?"  
  
Rhys froze for a moment, then threw caution to the wind, bending down to press a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Sure, Angel, I'll tell him. Go to sleep."  
  
She was already asleep by the time Rhys left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are all so great, every time I get a comment or a subscription or a kudo I just burst with joy. Thank you so much.


	7. Chapter 7

"Excuse me, Rhys?"  
  
Rhys jumped, still not used to the AI's presence. "Yes, Felicity?"  
  
"I think you might want to head to the foyer before Jack and Nurse Nina come to blows."  
  
"They haven't started yet?" Rhys asked wryly, even as he started moving down the hall.  
  
"He is showing remarkable restraint. I think he took your words to heart."  
  
Rhys faltered, almost tripping over his own feet. "I-I don't know about that..." Rhys muttered as he entered the main room. Jack and Nina were squared off, each with their arms crossed and their mouths set into hard, stubborn lines.  
  
"What do you mean there's nothing you can do for her?" Jack snarled, keeping his voice low. Nina rolled her eyes.  
  
"I tell again. Is just flu, nothing I can do that body won't do on own. Keep hydrated, keep resting, boom. Better already. If fever gets too bad, then I do something. Nothing to do now." Nina said.  
  
By this point in their relationship, Rhys had become very familiar with the look on Jack's face, and knew if he didn't dismiss Nina in the next minute, the woman was as good as dead.  
  
"Thank you, Nurse Nina." Rhys said curtly, his hand on Jack's shoulder. "We can take it from here."  
  
"Right." Nina said, turning on her heel and leaving the penthouse. "Nina go home now. Expect pay in morning."  
  
"For WHAT?" Jack shouted to the closing door. "YOU DID _NOTHING_!"  
  
"Jack, Angel's trying to sleep." Rhys scolded automatically. He froze for a moment, shocked at his own cavalier attitude, but Jack didn't seem to mind.  
  
"Don't know why I hired that crazy woman, good for nothing..." Jack growled under his breath, still glaring at the door.  
  
"Hey." Rhys said, catching Jack's attention. "Before you go back to Angel, you need to calm down."  
  
"Excuse me?" Jack asked, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Rhys stood his ground, though, and it was much, much easier to stand in the face of Jack's anger than he thought, at least where Angel was concerned.  
  
"If Angel sees you all panicky, she's going to panic herself, and that will only make things worse. So get it together before you go be with her."  
  
"I'm not panicky, I'm..." Jack trailed off when Rhys started walking away. "What are you doing?" Jack asked, watching him move about the kitchen.  
  
"Making soup." Rhys said, opening and closing cabinets as he took stock of Jack's pantry contents. "Angel needs to eat something now that her fever's gone down. Also, it's the one thing I can actually cook."  
  
"Soup?"  
  
"Yeah, _soup_." He waved his hand in the direction of Angel's bedroom. "Go on, be with her. She's scared and sick and she needs you."  
  
"I..." Jack's shoulders slumped. "I don't know what I'm doing."  
  
"You're doing fine. Just...I dunno, cuddle her, or something. Just be with her." Rhys smiled reassuringly. "You're doing fine, Jack. Really."

* * *

 

Jack leaned against the doorframe, a small smile ghosting across his face as he watched his daughter sleep. Her face looked so innocent and serene, so different from his own features. Jack frowned, stopping that train of thought before it could even start. He didn't want to think about _her_ right now, or _ever_ , frankly.  
  
"Daddy?" Angel mumbled softly, pulling Jack from his thoughts, her eyes opening halfway.  
  
"Hey, babycakes." Jack said, finally entering the room. "I thought you were sleeping."  
  
"I thought I heard shouting. Is everything okay?"  
  
"Yeah, everything's fine, baby. Daddy was just overreacting as usual. Sorry I woke you up." Jack said, guilt swamping him.  
  
"It's okay." Angel said, sitting up in her bed. "Being sick is the _worst_."  
  
"Yeah, it sucks." Jack agreed, sitting at the end of her bed. "So next time, let's tell daddy when you're not feeling well so you don't get this sick again, okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Good." He reached over, laying the back of his hand on her forehead. "You're not burning up anymore, so that's good. How do you feel?"  
  
"Tired." She said, hugging Butt Stallion tight to her chest. "Will you tell me a story?" She asked.  
  
"Sure, baby girl." Jack said, prodding at her shoulder. "Scoot over, sweetheart, daddy wants a snuggle."  
  
That got a giggle out of her as she obeyed, leaving Jack just enough room to lie on her bed, his feet dangling off the edge comically.  
  
"Now, what story do you want, baby?" Jack asked, settling Angel into the crook of his arm. "I could tell you how I saved Elpis from getting blown up, or how I opened a vault-"  
  
"Tell me how you met mommy."  
  
"Oh." Jack said softly. That wasn't a memory he wanted to relive, let alone tell Angel. "I don't think..." He looked down at Angel, who was looking up at him with wide hopeful eyes and Jack's heart melted. He could never refuse her anything. "Yeah, okay." He heaved an explosive sigh, steeling himself to lie to her face. "This is the story of the first time I ever met your mother."  
  
"As you know, daddy wasn't always the CEO. Before you were born, I wrote code for everything, robots, computer systems, weapons...whatever I could get my hands on. And I was happy, because sometimes, I got to be around your mom."  
  
Angel watched him with wide, fascinated eyes, which only made the guilty feeling in his chest worse.  
  
"Your mom used to build robots. Not the big robots that we have now, but little, delicate things, more for looking pretty than blowing stuff up. Although there were a few that did that too."  
  
How could he tell her the truth? The truth was an awful story full of pain and betrayal. She didn't need that on her conscious.  
  
"One day, she comes barreling into my office, all riled up, asking how such juvenile code was allowed to be shipped out at all, let alone into one of her creations."  
  
This was a necessary evil, he told himself over and over. Give her the fairytale story she wants to hear.  
  
"I'll be honest, with the way she was yelling and the look in her eyes, I thought she was gonna go after the idiot who coded for her with a welding torch. I told her I would take care of her coding from now on, and she looked at me like she'd believe it when she saw it. Now, you know how daddy can't pass up a challenge."  
  
Angel giggled at that, and Jack grinned even as that horrible feeling in his gut intensified. When would he ever be ready to tell her the truth? He couldn't wait until she found out on her own. She would never forgive him.  
  
"So I would work on her coding whenever I could, and she was impressed, even if she tried to hide it. We were put together on a couple of big projects, and eventually we started dating. Then we were working on a series of rockets, well, more like fireworks, that you could program into saying whatever you wanted, right? And I hacked the rockets right before the demo, and made them spell out, "will you marry me?" in front of all the investors and board members. Tassiter had a conniption, but your mom thought it was awesome." Jack swallowed, wishing that this fabrication he was concocting had actually happened, that her death had been the tragic accident he had convinced everyone had happened. "And she said yes."  
  
Angel was silent for a moment. "Did you love mommy?"  
  
"I loved your mommy very much, babycakes."  
  
That was...probably true. A long, long time ago, before everything fell apart.  
  
"More than me?"  
  
_Never_.  
  
"No, baby." Jack whispered fiercely, squishing her against his side and pressing a kiss to her head. "I love you more than anything in the universe."  
  
"I love you too, daddy."  
  
Outside Angel's door, Rhys waited, making sure that Jack had finished his story before knocking lightly, pushing the door open with his hip.  
  
"Hey, Angel." He said, trying not to seem like he had been eavesdropping. "It’s soup time."  
  
"Noo..." Angel moaned, burying her face in Jack's sweater. "Hurts."  
  
"I know it hurts." Rhys said, walking into the room and trying not to look at Jack. "But I also know that this is special soup guaranteed to make your throat feel better."  
  
"Really?" Angel asked, looking up at Rhys.  
  
"Cross my heart. It's a secret recipe I invented when my sisters got sick. It works every time."  
  
"Okay. I'll try it."  
  
"Attagirl." Rhys said, handing her the cup. "Eat as much as you can, okay?"  
  
"What's in it?" Jack asked, as Angel took a tentative sip. She made a surprised pleased sound, and began slurping loudly.  
  
"That is a trade secret." Rhys said cryptically. Jack narrowed his eyes at his assistant.  
  
"Felicity, what'd he put in it?" He asked loudly.  
  
"Are you asking me to divulge the secrets of the _chef_ , Jack? That's _low_ , even for you."  
  
Jack made an indignant sound, glaring at the ceiling. "I don't pay you to sass me, Felicity, I pay you to spy for me."  
  
"Technically speaking, you don't pay me at all."  
  
"Do you _want_ to be relocated out of the cushy Hyperion servers and into something more suited to AI's who _bitch_ at me? Like the _toaster_?" Jack growled, ignoring the way Angel was giggling in between slurps. "Cause that's where you're headed, missy."  
  
"I am shaking in my metaphorical boots, sir."  
  
"This is your fault." He said to Angel, poking her in the side. "You've been teaching her bad habits and sassiness."  
  
"Yup." Angel said with a cheeky grin, slurping the last of her soup. "That was really good." Angel said to Rhys, handing him back the bowl. "Is there more?"  
  
"There's plenty more, but let's make sure this stays down before you go eating the entire pot." Rhys said, tweaking her nose and making her scrunch up her face adorably. "You want to try sleeping again?"  
  
"Okay." Angel said, and settled back into her bed, already half asleep. "Goodnight Rhys. Goodnight, daddy."  
  
"Night, baby girl." Jack said, kissing her forehead once and following Rhys out of the room.  


* * *

"You want a beer, Rhysie?" Jack asked once they were out of earshot.  
  
"I really ought to get going..." Rhys said, a teasing glint in his eyes. "See, my boss's daughter got sick, and he's probably not gonna be in the office until late, which means I have to deal with everything for him."  
  
"He's a reasonable guy, I'm sure he'll cut you some slack." Jack replied with a grin, waving the beer enticingly at Rhys. "Come on, one beer and I'll let you go."  
  
"Alright." Rhys said, taking the bottle and having a seat at the island counter.  
  
"Did you...were you listening?" Jack asked after a few minutes of companionable silence. "When I was telling that story to Angel?"  
  
Rhys blanched, his eyes meeting Jack's in fear for a moment. But the CEO didn't look angry at all.  
  
If anything he looked...guilty.  
  
"...Yes? But I remember the rules, Jack, and I won't say anything to anyone." Rhys assured him, trying to figure out where his head was at.  
  
"It wouldn't matter anyway. I...I lied to her. That's not the true story."  
  
"What?" Rhys gaped, shocked. "You...Why would you-"  
  
"She's not ready for the truth yet." Jack muttered, and something dark and angry flashed across his face for an instant before it was gone. "You have sisters?" Jack asked Rhys, blatantly changing the subject. "How did I not know that?"  
  
"Well, unofficial foster sisters might be a better descriptor." Rhys said, letting the matter drop reluctantly. If Jack didn't want to talk about it, if he would go so far as to lie to Angel to hide the truth, then he was probably better off not knowing. "I haven't seen them in years."  
  
"Falling out?"  
  
"They didn't...approve of me working for Hyperion, to put it mildly."  
  
"So why did you apply, if you knew they didn't approve?"  
  
Rhys traced the rim of his bottle with his thumb, listening to the high-pitched scrapping sound while he debated what he wanted to share with Jack.  
  
"I owe Hyperion. This company, your company, gave me back my arm and my eye, when I thought I had lost them for good. It was the least I could do."  
  
"You were in the volunteer experimental group, right?" Jack asked, surprising Rhys. "Back before they had the hang of it." He waved away Rhys' shock. "Don't look so surprised kiddo, of course I combed through your records. You know it was a miracle you survived the procedure, right?"  
  
"Doubly so, considering I fought so hard they had to heavily tranq me before they could start operating." Rhys said wryly, taking a swig of his drink.  
  
"What do you mean? You should have been put under general anesthesia, not-"  
  
"I wasn't there by choice."  
  
Jack's fingers tightened on his bottle. "Explain."  
  
So it looked like he was telling Jack everything now, thanks to his stupidly loose tongue. Awesome.  
  
"I lost my eye and my arm in an accident that also killed my parents. A man named Felix took me in off the streets. He had a habit of collecting...strays. He did the same with my foster sisters." Rhys fixed his eyes on a spot on the wall just to the right of Jack, his eyes dark. "He...volunteered me for the procedure without my consent. He got a pretty big payoff out of it; the heads of the program we running out of guinea pigs, and they were scared Hyperion would cut them loose if they didn't produce results. That was back in Tassiter's days."  
  
"Jesus, Rhysie..." Jack murmured. Rhys shrugged.  
  
"It turned out alright, except for how Felix used the fact that his mad gamble worked to keep me in line for the next ten years. He was a con man, and a cheat, and he used me and my sisters whenever and however he saw fit."  
  
"Where is he now?"  
  
"Dead. I didn't tell him about the bomb hidden in the briefcase." Rhys said viciously, draining the rest of his beer.  
  
"Good riddance." Jack said, taking a swig of his drink.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Do you miss them? Your sisters, I mean."  
  
"Yeah. I've tried reaching out to them a few times, but..." Rhys swallowed dryly. "They're not interested in talking to the Hyperion scumbag that killed their father."  
  
"Hey." Jack tapped the back of Rhys' palm, making him look up. "You’re not a scumbag Rhys. You acted in their best interest."  
  
"You don't know that."  
  
"I know _you_ , Rhysie." Jack insisted. "You did what you did to protect the people you love." Rhys was getting lost in the way Jack looked at him, like he was something special and surprising and strong. "You and I, we're not so different."  
  
"You think?"  
  
"I do." Jack said with a nod, his eyes never leaving Rhys'. "I see great things in your future, Rhysie. Great things."  
  
"Thanks, Jack." Rhys said, incredibly touched. “That…that really means a lot.”

“You’re welcome, Rhys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW that took WAY longer to write than I anticipated. DAMN REAL LIFE FOR KEEPING ME BUSY. Anywho, its time to buckle your seatbelts, gang, cause things are about to get rough.


	8. Chapter 8

Rhys ended up leaving the penthouse soon after that, with a promise of regular updates on Angel's condition over the course of the night.  
  
He had no idea that that meant nearly hourly updates of cute pictures of Angel eating more of his soup, sleeping soundly, or one particularly adorable selfie of Angel and Jack making faces at the camera. Rhys uploaded that one on his computer and saved it, still chuckling over Jack's apparent dorkiness.  
  
Given the situation, he honestly didn't expect to see Jack when he got to the office.  


* * *

  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Rhys blurted out as he entered the office and saw Jack slouching low in his chair, his feet kicked up as he dozed lightly.  
  
To his shock, Jack startled awake with a yelp, falling in the space between his desk and chair as the chair proceeded to roll away.  
  
That was Rhys' first clue that something was up.  
  
"Jesus, man, don't wake up a guy when he's sleeping like that!" Jack grumbled as his head appeared behind the desk, the rest of him still sitting on the floor.  
  
The use of 'man' instead of any one of Jack's cutesy endearments was the second clue. Rhys quickly activated his ECHOeye, scanning the man in front of him.  
  
He got all the information he should have:

Name: Handsome Jack,

Age: Wouldn't you like to know,

Occupation: Big Damn Hero,

Likes: Strangling his enemies; And pretzels.

Everything was in order.  
  
Except for that feeling in Rhys' gut that had yet to steer him wrong.  
  
"You're not Jack."  
  
"Uh...what?" The imposter said dumbly.  
  
"I don't know who you are, but you are not Jack." Rhys said, his palm lighting up as he starting dialing Maya's extension.  
  
"Of course I am, idiot." The imposter said, and although he sounded exactly like Jack, and had the proper amount of condescension and irritation in his voice, there was a flicker of uncharacteristic panic in his heterochromatic eyes.  
  
Rhys suddenly remembered one of the conspiracy theories about Jack he had heard once before, that Jack had spent millions of dollars creating a body double for himself. "OH. Oh, you must be Jack's body double. Sorry, I got a little freaked out there for a second." Rhys said, giddy relief replacing his panic as he disconnected the call before it had a chance to ring. Jack had probably wanted to spend more time with Angel, but given Angel's secrecy, he had his body double take his place to avoid suspicion. It almost made sense, in a weird Handsome Jack way.  
  
"Look here kiddo-" Not-Jack started to say, but Rhys ignored him, heading towards his own desk to drop off his belongings, wondering why Jack hadn't just told him that his body double would be in today. Was this a test? Did he not think Rhys would notice?  
  
"Will Jack be coming in at all today? And how do you take your coffee?" Rhys asked, his tone pleasant. "And if you could stop trying to convince me that you're Jack, that'd be great."  
  
The body double stared at him for a few seconds, perplexed, before collapsing into Jack’s chair with a sigh, reaching up to the clasps on his forehead and undoing them.  
  
"How the fuck did you know I wasn't Jack, kid?" The imposter asked on a petulant whine, his hands going to the chin clasp and pulling the entire mask away from his face, revealing...the exact same face underneath. Well, _that_ answered why there were often conspiracy sightings of Jack wandering around Elpis and Pandora without his mask on. "I've been doing this shit for _years_ , and no one outside Jack's inner circle has _ever_ found me out so fast."  
  
Rhys shrugged, making his way over to the coffee machine. "You're very convincing, don't get me wrong. Even my ECHO implant registered you as Jack."  
  
"Then how did you know?"  
  
"You didn't open with an update on Angel's health. That should be all Jack is thinking about. Also Jack's first words are usually, 'where's my coffee, cupcake?' Well, most mornings anyway. Speaking of coffee, do you take it like Jack?"  
  
"Black as his soul and hot as hell?" The imposter shuddered. "Eurgh, no. Cream and sugar it until it's barely coffee."  
  
"A man after my own heart." Rhys said with a smile, preparing the coffee as ordered.  
  
"I'm Timothy, by the way." The body double said awkwardly after a few moments.  
  
"Rhys." Rhys replied as he set the cup in front of Timothy.  
  
"Oh I know exactly who you are, dude. Everybody's talking about Jack's new PA extraordinaire. Jack, Angel, Maya...everyone's impressed with you, man."  
  
"I'm just doing my job." Rhys mumbled, his cheeks turning pink.  
  
"And doing it better than anyone else has." Timothy said, looking at him from over the rim of his mug. "What’s your secret?"  
  
"My secret?"  
  
"Come on, as someone who has to deal with Jack on a regular basis, I gotta know how you got so good at dealing with all this..." He waved his hand around, indicating the entire office. "So quickly."  
  
"It's...it's easy. Jack always tells me what he wants. I just...facilitate that. It's not a big deal."  
  
"Thirteen dead assistants would argue otherwise, dude."  
  
"Good point. I guess it's just a matter of time before he starts getting tired of me and my meddling." Rhys said, trying to make a joke and failing miserably.  
  
"No, he won't." Timothy said, his voice gentle and reassuring. "If he hasn't already, he won't. And if it seems like he is, it's because he just doesn't know what to do with you, so he defaults to being a dick. Don't take it personally."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"He's...paranoid about people, for the most part. He doesn’t allow people to get close to him. Too many stabs in the back. But I think he's so impressed with you that he's waiting for something to fuck it all up. It's what he expects when things start to go right."  
  
Rhys opened his mouth to inquire further, but was interrupted by the arrival of Jack himself, who skidded into the office, his breathing heavy as if he had run from the penthouse.  
  
"Hey, boss." Timothy said, rising with a yawn. "How's the munchkin doing?"  
  
"Fine…" Jack said, drawing out the word as he looked between Rhys and Timothy, his face unreadable. "Why aren't you freaking out, Rhysie?"  
  
"About Timothy?" Rhys asked. "What's there to freak out about? I knew he wasn't you."  
  
"You did?" Jack asked, surprised.  
  
"Yeah, of course." Rhys said with a shrug. "No offense to Timothy's acting skills, but I know Handsome Jack when I see him."  
  
"Huh." Jack said.  
  
"Can I go do my actual job now, Jack?" Timothy asked. "I've still got two appearances to make in Opportunity, and it's my anniversary tonight. I'm supposed to take Aurelia to that restaurant in Sector Three, and you _know_ how annoying they get about making them clear out an entire dining hall and then showing up late."  
  
"Oh my god, just stop whining and go, jeez." Jack said, but there was a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Did Hammerlock get my present?"  
  
It was...odd, seeing Jack blush, even if it wasn't really Jack blushing. "Yeah."  
  
"Awesome, enjoy it, kiddo." Jack said, clapping Timothy on the shoulder and shoving him out the door. "Tell Aurelia I expect to be repaid in kind!"  
  
"Tell her yourself, jackass!" Timothy yelled back, in a perfect imitation of Jack.  
  
"What was the present?" Rhys asked as the doors slid shut.  
  
"The fuzziest, pinkest handcuffs money can buy." Jack said with a cackle.  
  
"Hilarious." Rhys said with a roll of his eyes at Jack's sophomoric sense of humor. "How’s Angel doing?"  
  
"Better." Jack answered. "Thanks to you, pumpkin."  
  
"It wasn't...I didn't..." Rhys stammered, flushing. "It was nothing, just...doing my job."  
  
"You went above and beyond the call of duty there, cupcake." Jack said, taking a seat in his chair, his hands on the arm rests as he stared contemplatively at Rhys. "I want to reward that, but I can't figure out what you'd like, so I'll let you decide."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What'll it be, Rhysie? Vacation time? A pay raise? An unspecified favor?"  
  
"A favor?" Rhys repeated. "you hate being in debt to people."  
  
"You're not people, Rhysie. You helped Angel. So I'll be in debt to you, kiddo. I know you won't abuse it."  
  
The amount of trust Jack was displaying was, quite frankly, frightening, especially given what Timothy had told him. Rhys didn’t know what to make of it.  
  
"I...I don't know what to say." Rhys admitted. "You don't really have to reward me for doing what any decent person would do Jack. Really." Jack stared at Rhys with narrowed eyes. "But I appreciate the thought anyway." Rhys said quickly, not wanting to seem ungrateful.  
  
"You really don't want _anything_ , Rhysie?"  
  
"I don't."  
  
"...Alright." Jack said, disbelievingly. "Offer still stands, though."  
  
"Thanks, Jack." Rhys said quietly, fighting the blush that was rising in his cheeks.  
  
"So, what's on my sched today, Rhysie?" Jack asked, spinning once in his chair.  
  
"You've got a meeting with a spokesperson from Dahl in a few minutes, actually." Rhys said, relieved that Jack hadn't pressed the matter.  
  
"Ugh, I _hate_ those guys." Jack groaned, slouching low into his chair. "Is it too late to call Timmy back?"  
  
"They wanted to discuss starting a new line of weapons with Hyperion. You at least should hear their proposal."  
  
"Fine, fine, fine." Jack said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I won't kill him right off the bat, I promise."  
  
"I suppose that's all I can ask, for you." Rhys said teasingly. Jack threw a pen at him in retaliation.  
  
"Watch it, sassypants."  


* * *

  
The spokesperson from Dahl arrived precisely on time for his appointment. His hair was slicked back smartly, his suit was pressed to perfection, and his shoes were buffed to a glossy black finish.  
  
And he set off every alarm bell in Rhys' head.  
  
"Maybe I was too generous before." Rhys said softly so only Jack could hear. "I don't like the look of this guy."  
  
"Really? I would think you'd be into the clean cut pencil pusher look." Jack muttered back, causing Rhys to flush hotly.  
  
"That's not what I mean. I'm getting a weird vibe off of him..." Rhys said, unnerved.  
  
"Scan him then, if you think he's trouble. But security thoroughly checks every person who sets foot on Helios. There's no way he's dangerous."  
  
Rhys frowned, activating his ECHOeye just to be sure. The information that popped up about the spokesperson was innocuous, at best. Really, going by his profile, he had to be the most boring person alive.  
  
Rhys hadn't been raised by a manipulative con artist for most of his life not to recognize a fake profile when he saw one.  
  
"Jack, he's not-!" Rhys began to say, but cut himself off when he saw the man reach into his jacket, pulling out a long barreled pistol and aiming it at Jack.  
  
"Jack, look out!" Rhys shouted, pushing both the chair and Jack to the side and out of the way, over balancing and taking a step forward into the space where Jack used to be. The gun went off, and Rhys had a fleeting moment to watch Jack's eyes go wide with horror before the bullet lodged itself in his side.  
  
"RHYS!" Jack's voice roared somewhere above him as he fell to the floor. "Felicity! Activate turrets, NOW!" The turrets came to life above door, and opened fire on the running gunman, shooting even after his chest had long been shredded to bits. "Rhys, Rhysie, babe, talk to me! Say something!" Jack shouted, kneeling on the ground next to Rhys and cupping his face. "You better not be dead, I swear to god, you are _so_ _fired_ if you're dead..."  
  
"Jack..." Rhys groaned, trying and failing to staunch the blood gushing from his stomach. "Are you okay?  
  
"Who the fuck cares about me?" Jack snapped, fumbling with Rhys' increasingly blood soaked shirt and vest, trying to find the entrance wound. "Felicity! I need a medic team up here YESTERDAY!"  
  
"What the fuck happened?" Maya shouted, as she ran into the room, a loaded gun in her hands. "I heard the turrets."  
  
"Rhys has been shot." Felicity answered when Jack's only reply was a snarl of rage.  
  
"Jesus..." Maya muttered under her breath. She quickly ran to Rhys, wincing in sympathy when she saw the puddle of blood growing underneath the cybernetic man.  
  
"Rhys. Rhys, honey, stay awake. Where were you hit?" Maya asked sharply. Rhys moaned in pain, and didn't answer.  
  
"Rhysie, babe, I need you to tell us where you were hit." Jack said, his voice gentle and coaxing. Rhys reached out for him, and was rewarded with Jack dragging him closer, holding him tight.  
  
"My...my stomach, I think..." He gasped, convulsing slightly against Jack, his face buried in the man's waistcoat, chasing that elusive scent that made him feel safe. "Fuck, it _hurts_..." Rhys whined as Maya finally pulled his shirt away from the wound, hissing under her breath.

“No exit.” She said to Jack, bunching up Rhys’ shirt and pressing down on the wound. “Can’t use a healing hypo while the bullet’s still in there.”  
  
"Stay with us, kitten, medics are on their way." Jack said, keeping his rage and fear out of his voice by sheer force of will. He smoothed back Rhys' hair gently, away from his face, trying to keep his hands from shaking. "If this is your way of asking for time off, Rhysie, we are going to have _words_. Long, uncomfortable words you will _not_ enjoy."  
  
Rhys chuckled wetly, a few drops of blood staining his bottom lip. "I thought you said security checks everyone. H-How did they get a gun in here?" Rhys asked, his words slurring slightly.  
  
"I don't fucking know." Jack growled, furious with Dahl, the shooter, and the incompetent Hyperion security that let him enter Jack’s office. "But I'm gonna find out, and when I do, the _imbeciles_ that allowed this to happen will quickly be floating their way towards Pandora."  
  
"Jack?" Rhys asked, and _fuck_ , the kid was really starting to get pale. "I've never been shot before. Am I going to die?"  
  
"You most certainly are _not_ going to die. I forbid it." Jack snapped, his voice just the tiniest bit shaky. "Ya hear me, babe? You are not allowed to die on me. Replacing you will be a bitch and a half. I do not have time for to train a new guy to be as good at your job as you."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Jack would have said something about Rhys continuing to call him sir, but he was interrupted by the arrival of the frazzled medical team, wheeling a stretcher into the office.  
  
"What took you idiots so long?" Jack shouted at them. "Don't just stand there, he's been _shot_!"  
  
"Don't be mean, Jack." Rhys mumbled, his words barely audible. "You'll scare 'em away..."  
  
"Shut the fuck up, Rhysie." Jack snarled, but he lowered his voice. "Well, idiots? MOVE IT!"  
  
"Jack?" Rhys gasped in panic as he was pulled away from Jack.  
  
"I'm here, babe." Jack said softly. "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"Don't..." Rhys groaned as the medics lifted him onto the stretcher. "Don’t tell Angel if I die. Tell her I went somewhere, tell her whatever you want, but don't tell her I'm dead."  
  
"You're...you're not going to die, Rhysie." Jack said, trying not to let on how those words gutted him to the core. "You're gonna be fine. I _promise_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WAAAAY later than I anticipated. Sorry guys. D: Thank you for all the support, as per usual. I love you guys!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might be triggery for people who are uncomfortable with violence or blood.

"HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?" Jack roared, pacing behind his desk like a caged lion, his waistcoat still stained with Rhys' blood. " _HOW_ , WILHELM?"  
  
"Don't shout at me like I'm one of your disappointing subordinates, Jack." Wilhelm growled. Jack glared at the cyborg.  
  
"Right now, you are one of my disappointing subordinates, Wilhelm." Jack retorted, before sinking into his chair. He didn't really mean that, though. When everything was said and done, Wilhelm was one of the few people Jack actually considered a close friend, and both men knew it, too. "How did this asshole get this thing through _fifteen_ different security checks?" He snapped, gesturing at the odd-looking gun lying on his desk.  
  
At first glance, it looked like a standard long barreled pistol; but upon closer inspection, one could see the whole gun gleaming with a sick purple glow.  
  
"No idea." Wilhelm said. "Whoever he was, he musta been clever."  
  
"Then we have to be even more clever. He made it all the way up to my office, and shot my assistant. I want everyone responsible for this fuck up found and dealt with."  
  
"Understood." Wilhelm said, before smiling meanly. "Heard the nerd took the bullet like a champ."  
  
"Don't joke. He could have _died_."  
  
Wilhelm looked at Jack contemplatively. "What?"  
  
"Lemme ask you this: Are you more pissed that this guy outsmarted you, or that he shot your little boy toy?"  
  
Jack didn't say a word, which was answer enough for Wilhelm.  
  
"I'm honestly surprised you've gotten so attached to him so quickly. It's not like you, Jackie."  
  
"He's...different." Jack said at last. He got to his feet abruptly. "I'm heading down to the medical wing." He gestured at the gun. "Take that thing to Gladstone. We'll see what he has to say about it."  
  
As he passed the cold corpse of his would-be assassin on his way out the door, Jack paused, glaring down at the asshole's still intact face, feeling the rage coursing within him build up to unbearable levels. With a snarl, he smashed his foot into the assassin's face, crushing his skull and sending blood and brains splattering across the floor and up the leg of his pants.  
  
"And get someone to clean this shit up."

* * *

  
"Any news?" Jack asked as soon as he entered the waiting room and spotted Maya pacing by a window.  
  
"Nothing." She said bitterly. Her hands were still stained red, despite having washed them repeatedly. "Did Wilhelm have any insight as to how he got in?"  
  
"No. He will though, or I'll-"  
  
"Daddy!"  
  
Jack whirled around, his eyes wide as Angel and Axton were escorted by an orderly into the room. "Angel, what the _hell_ are you doing here?" Jack asked, acutely aware of the blood and brain matter streaked across his clothing.  
  
"What happened? Are you okay? Where's Rhys?" Angel asked point blank, her eyes defiantly staring her father down, not even flinching at Jack's gory appearance.  
  
"How the hell did you-" Jack stopped, then growled, " _Felicity_."  
  
"Yes, sir?" Felicity said, her voice emanating from the nearest loudspeaker, the AI sounding almost tentative.  
  
"Care to shed some light on this situation?"  
  
"Standard protocol dictates that the penthouse be put on lockdown and Axton be summoned when shots are fired in your office by any personnel excepting yourself, sir. Angel knows this. When lockdown initiated, she expressed concern that you or Rhys may have been hurt. When Axton arrived at the penthouse, she demanded he escort her to you, or she would go find you by herself."  
  
"Uh-huh." Jack turned his glare on Axton. "What's your excuse?"  
  
"What was I supposed to do? Lock her in the penthouse?"  
  
"Damn right, you should have-"  
  
"DADDY!" Angel shouted, shocking her father into silence. "What. Happened. To. Rhys?"  
  
"Angel-"  
  
"Please don't lie to me, daddy." Angel said sharply, and for a moment she looked so much like her mother that Jack's stomach dropped.  
  
"He..." Jack swallowed past the lump in his throat with difficulty. "He got hurt, baby."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Somebody tried to kill me...again...and...Rhys saved me."  
  
"But he's gonna be okay, right, daddy?" Angel asked, and she looked so concerned and earnest that all Jack wanted to do was scream. "You're gonna fix him, right?"  
  
"You're damn right I'm gonna fix him, baby girl." Jack said, his face going hard.  
  
"E-excuse me?"  
  
All eyes were suddenly on the doctor, who could not look more terrified if she had tried.  
  
"What happened? Is Rhys alright?" Jack asked, taking several steps forward. When the doctor could only stammer in reply, he started losing his already tenuous grip on his patience. "Spit it out already, or I'll give you something to be scared of."  
  
"Jack, calm down, you're not making things better-"  
  
"Don't fucking tell me to calm down!" Jack snarled. Maya stood her ground, though, glaring back as the blue tattoos on her left side began to glow.  
  
"I don't want to, but I will phaselock you if you don't chill out, Jack."  
  
The terrified doctor felt a slight tug on her sleeve, and looked down to see Angel looking up at her with wide blue eyes.  
  
"Is Rhys gonna be okay, doctor?" Angel asked. The doctor focused her attention on the little girl, deeming her a safer alternative to the CEO, who was still locked in a battle of wills with the blue haired siren.  
  
"H-he's in recovery now. The bullet didn't hit anything important but he lost a lot of blood. He'll need to rest here for a few days, then take it easy for a week, maybe longer."  
  
"But he's gonna be okay?"  
  
"Barring any complications, he will make a complete recovery."  
  
"Good." Angel said, her chin stubborn as she clambered onto a chair, crossing her arms once more. "I'm gonna stay here until Rhys wakes up then."  
  
"Angel-"  
  
"He's all alone, in a scary place. He was there when I was sick, and now I'm gonna be here for him."  
  
A corner of Jack's heart melted a bit, but it was largely unnoticed by the CEO. He was still furious, and he didn't anticipate calming down anytime soon.  
  
He needed to stay far away from Angel until he cooled down.  
  
"Don't you dare leave her side." Jack snarled at Axton and Maya. "Call me if anything changes."  
  
"Where are you going, daddy?" Angel asked as her father headed for the door.  
  
"Daddy has _work_ to do, baby." He growled, feeling the itch to kill something start to grow in his hands.

* * *

  
Jack activated his private connection to Felicity as soon as he entered the elevator, intent on heading down to Weapons Development.  
  
"Felicity, review all security footage, starting immediately after that scumbag set foot on Helios. I want the name of every person he so much as looked at." He snapped as soon as the connection was made.  
  
"Jack, isn't that a little...excessive?"  
  
"Who fucking cares? Just do it!" He snapped as the elevator doors opened.  
  
"Jack, I don't really feel comfortable-"  
  
"I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK, FELICITY!" Jack roared, terrifying the hell out of everyone in the corridor, who immediately went running for cover. "Do not make me regret keeping you out of that constructor bot prototype, Felicity. We had a deal. I let you keep your personality, you do everything I ask without question. Got it?"  
  
"Got it." Felicity sighed. "Forwarding the details to your ECHOcom."  
  
"That's more like it." Jack growled. "Tell Wilhelm I'm heading down there in a bit. And let him know that after today, we're gonna have to power wash the blood from the interrogation room."  
  
"Yes, sir."

* * *

  
"Talk to me, Gladdy. How the hell did someone sneak this gun past all of Helios' security?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I've never seen anything like this."  
  
"I'm really not in the mood for a slow reveal, Gladstone. I want a complete diagnostic on everything to do with this gun, materials, ammo, internal design, the works. And I want it now, you understand?"  
  
"Yes sir, right away, sir."  
  
"Call me the instant you find something of use." Jack said as he stalked away, the scientists practically diving out of his way as he headed for the door.  
  
"He's in that mood again." Felicity's voice said from Gladstone's computer.  
  
"What mood, Felicity?" Gladstone asked, distractedly.  
  
"The one where he gets more homicidal and dickish than normal." Felicity said on a sigh.  
  
"You know how he is." Gladstone assured her. "He’ll apologize when he cools down a bit."  
  
"By cool down, do you mean practically bathing in the blood of innocents?"  
  
"Better them than us. And how innocent can they be? They work _here_."  
  
"Sometimes I wonder if it's worth the abuse to stay here."  
  
"Come on, Felicity. You know it's safer here than anywhere else. As long as we do as he asks, he's got our backs."  
  
"I suppose you're right."

* * *

  
"I'm going to ask you one more time. Who let him on the station? I want a motherfucking _name_."  
  
"I don't know! I don't know what you're talking about, I've never even seen that guy in my life-" the guard choked, his eyes bulging out as Jack increased the pressure on his windpipe.  
  
"That was the wrong answer, buddy." Jack snarled, wrapping his hands around the guards head and snapping his neck with one quick motion, letting the body slump to the floor.  
  
"Next!" Jack shouted.  
  
"That was the last of them."  
  
"Really?" Jack said, surprised. There had been over thirty people to interrogate, and time seemed to have flown by.  
  
"Felicity, send everything we've got to TimTams. I want him on this first thing tomorrow. Is Angel back in the penthouse?" Jack asked, stretching his arms into the air and feeling his spine pop in several places. The rage had died down into a mild frustration. His coping mechanism might not be the healthiest, but it worked for Jack, and he had information to follow up on too.  
  
"No. Despite repeated cajoling, she has refused to leave the medical wing until Rhys wakes up."  
  
"Goddamnit." Jack sighed. "Fine. I'll go talk to her."  
  
"May I suggest a shower and a change of clothes, sir?"  
  
"That's probably a good idea." Jack mused, looking down at his blood soaked clothing. "Thanks, Felicity. Sorry I was an asshole earlier."  
  
"...your lackluster apology is accepted."  
  
"I'll make it up to you."  
  
"You better."

* * *

  
"Hey." Jack said softly to Maya and Axton as he entered the waiting room, scrubbed clean and dressed in an old Hyperion sweater and a pair of worn jeans, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.  
  
"We tried everything but she won't leave." Axton said, frowning.  
  
"She's almost as stubborn as you are." Maya muttered, her jaw tight.  
  
"I'll talk to her." Jack said. "And Maya?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Thanks for holding me back earlier."  
  
"And?" She prompted.  
  
"And sorry for being an asshole."  
  
"Better." Maya said at last. "Do you need us to stay?"  
  
"I don't think I will, but thanks for the offer." Jack said as he moved past them towards his daughter.  
  
"I'm not leaving." Angel said primly as Jack approached, crossing her arms and glaring at her father. "You can't make me."  
  
"I most certainly can. I am your _father_." Jack said, indignant. Angel opened her mouth to retort, but Jack held up his hand.  
  
"But I'm not going to, baby girl. I'm gonna offer you a compromise."  
  
"You have my attention." She said, in her best impression of Jack at his most intimidating. Behind him, both Maya and Axton stifled snorts of laughter. Jack ignored them.  
  
"You and me go up to my office and camp out on my couch, which is way more comfy than these chairs, and in the morning, we can come straight back here. Sound good?"  
  
"What if Rhys wakes up, and we're not here?"  
  
"Felicity is going to keep an eye on him for us, because she is the best AI in the whole universe. And she doesn't deserve to get snapped at, no matter how angry some of us can get." He said, glancing up at the ceiling. "Isn't that right, darlin'?"  
  
"Of course, Jack. I will monitor Rhys' vitals, and let you know if there is any change."  
  
"See, baby?" Jack said. "Come on, it's a good trade. And we'll be a short elevator ride away if Rhys needs us." He reached into the duffel bag, pulling out Angel's favorite stuffed animal. "Look, I even went and got Butt Stallion to keep us company."  
  
"I wanna see him." Angel said, taking Butt Stallion and crushing the toy against her chest. "Let me see Rhys and we can go."  
  
"He might...it might be a little scary, to see Rhys like that." Jack said.  
  
"I don't care. I can handle it."  
  
"Of course you can. You're _my_ daughter." Jack said, proud of his little firecracker. "Well, you drive a hard bargain, sweetheart, but alright. Let's go find one of those useless doctors so you can see Rhysie."

* * *

  
"I warned you it might be scary." Jack said quietly. The sight of Rhys, hooked up to three different machines that all beeped ominously in the silence of the room was unnerving, even for Jack.  
  
"Has he always been so...skinny?" Angel asked softly. Rhys did look particularly skinny and fragile in the hospital gown, his face paler than Jack had ever seen him. "What is all that stuff?"  
  
"It's making him better, I promise, baby." Jack said.  
  
Angel was silent for a long moment, then she let go of Jack's hand, still holding Butt Stallion.  
  
"Be careful, baby. That stuff's real delicate." Jack told her as she approached Rhys' bedside. Placing Butt Stallion on the night table, she dragged the nearest chair closer to the bed, moving it in careful increments to make as little sound as possible. Once she had it placed to her satisfaction, she climbed onto it, and carefully leaned over Rhys while Jack watched, barely breathing.  
  
"Thank you for saving daddy, Rhys." She said, pressing a light kiss against Rhys' cheek, tucking Butt Stallion securely against his uninjured side. "Get better soon, okay?"  
  
And were the lights in the room just a little bit brighter, and had Jack not been watching his daughter so very carefully, he might have missed the tiny swirl of white light that passed from her lips to Rhys' cheek, as a soft glow peeked out from underneath Angel's long dark hair.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY GOT IT DONE. JESUS. I tell you, every time I get a comment or I check the stats on this thing, I end up writing about 500 words right then and there, isn't that nutty? We should get some rapid fire updates in the next couple of days, so strap in kiddos!


	10. Chapter 10

Jack stroked Angel's hair as she snored lightly, snuggled into the crook of his arm. He scratched idly at the exposed scar on his face, his mask sitting empty eyed and vacant on the nearest table.  
  
Lying back on his couch, with his precious daughter asleep and safe in his arms, Jack thought about Rhys.  
  
Rhys had walked into their lives on those ridiculous giraffe legs of his and turned everything upside down. After his many failed relationships following the death of his wife, Jack had pretty much given up hope that there was someone out there that could care about Angel as much as he did, who wanted her safe more than anything else. But _Rhys_...  
  
Rhys had known her for all of ten minutes before he became protective of her, going so far as to stand in the face of Jack's rage to protect her multiple times. Jack pursed his lips in thought.  
  
Maybe...  
  
Angel shuffled in her sleep, a little bit of drool trickling out of her open mouth. Jack smiled down at her, before the smile fell from his face as he remembered what had happened in the hospital room.  
  
It wasn't _fair_ , he thought to himself. She never asked for _this_ , she had never asked to be like _this_.  
  
"I'm sorry, baby." Jack whispered. "I'm sorry this is happening to you. I'm sorry you couldn't have a normal life."  
  
He took a deep breath and lifted her heavy hair off the back of her neck, revealing the swirling blue white tattoos decorating the left side of her neck and running down her arm, hidden by her long hair and the long sleeves he always insisted she wear.  
  
"My beautiful siren." Jack said, tracing the swirl that always reminded him of wings with his thumb, his face resolute as she shifted closer to him. "I'll keep you safe, baby. I promise you that."

* * *

  
Jack called Axton and Maya to his office as soon as they awoke, as promised. By the time they arrived, Jack was put back together, mask in place, and Angel was practically vibrating with the desire to get back to Rhys’ side  
  
"Axton, take Angel down to medical?" Jack said, gently pushing Angel towards the commando. "Bluebird, can I talk to you for a sec?"  
  
"Aren't you coming, daddy?" Angel asked, appalled.  
  
"I'll be right behind you, baby, there's something I've got to take care of first."  
  
Maya tensed, following Jack as he went back into his office. "What's up? What could be more important than-"  
  
"Angel..." Jack swallowed, fighting his instinctual need to keep Angel's powers a secret. He reminded himself that this was why he had hired Maya in the first place, and that he could trust her. "I think her powers manifested last night."  
  
"What?!" Maya hissed. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Unless there _another_ reason she was glowing like a nightlight, yeah. Pretty sure." Jack snapped, rubbing a hand over his face. "You told me it wouldn't present until her teens. That is what you said."  
  
"No, I said that's when _my_ powers first presented. I'm as new to this shit as you are, Jack, I've only got my own experiences to go off of, and whatever rumors and research I can get my hands on." She thought for a moment. "When was this?" Maya asked at last. Jack hesitated. "It was in the room with Rhys, wasn't it?"  
  
"How did you-"  
  
"In my research, it said that sirens are awakened by high emotion."  
  
"High emotion?"  
  
"I thing Angel's gotten more attached to Rhys than anyone anticipated." Maya said. Jack chuckled dryly.  
  
"That makes two of us." He muttered. He gave a hard sigh, pushing off his desk. "We need more information. Maya, I'm giving you permission to do whatever you need to find out more about sirens. We need to be prepared for anything. In the meantime, let's keep this between us. The fewer people that know about Angel's powers, the safer everyone will be."  
  
"Jack, there's one more thing." Maya said hesitantly. "There’s a theory that the earlier a siren presents, the more powerful she will be. And I've never even _heard_ of a siren presenting so early before."  
  
Jack swallowed, even though this information wasn't news to him. It was all happening exactly as he had seen it.  
  
"I'm counting on you, bluebird." Jack said in lieu of an answer, walking past her. "Now come on, my daughter's waiting for me."

* * *

  
"Explain it to me one more time. He wasn't even Dahl?"  
  
"No one we've talked to at the Dahl corporation had any clue that there was a meeting even happening, let alone who this guy was." Timothy said, his face flickering on the ECHOfeed.  
  
"They could be lying."  
  
"Not while Aurelia's administering third degree frostbite. It wasn't a corporate hit, boss. It was probably a lone wolf, using Dahl as a cover. It's happened before."  
  
"No. There's something else going on here. No way one guy gets through all my security without help. Keep digging."  
  
"Yes, sir." Timothy sighed.  
  
"…Jack?"  
  
Jack whirled around, his eyes wide as he watched Rhys' eyes blink open slowly.  
  
"Call me when you've got something, Timmy." Jack snapped into the ECHO, hanging up a second later. "Hey..." Jack said, only just barely keeping his shock out of his voice. "Nice to see you finally awake, sleeping beauty." He moved closer to the bed, pouring Rhys a glass of water from a nearby pitcher. "How do you feel, cupcake?"  
  
"Sore." Rhys rasped, taking the water with grateful hands, downing it as fast as he could. "How long was I out?"  
  
"Couple days." Jack said, intentionally not telling Rhys about how the doctors had been baffled at his speedy recovery. No need to freak him out. They didn’t have enough information yet.  
  
"A couple of _days_?" Rhys squawked, trying to sit up fully and hissing in pain.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, easy there kiddo." Jack admonished, pressing him back down into the bed with a hand on his chest. "You’re pretty delicate right now, and I spent a _lotta_ money patching you up. I'll be very _upset_ if you break yourself again."  
  
"I've been asleep for _days_?!"  
  
"Relax, cupcake." Jack said. "We muddled through without you okay. Not to say that I'm not glad you're awake." Jack said hurriedly. "Maya doesn't know how to brew a cup of coffee to save her _life_. I tell ya, I dunno what those monks were teaching her, she's clearly got some gaps in her knowledge-"  
  
Rhys was barely listening to Jack. He had just noticed the presence of a familiar pink and purple stuffed pony nestled against his side. Rhys stared at it for a moment, his mouth working soundlessly.  
  
"Angel was here?" He asked Jack, who stopped his rambling anecdotes with a click of his teeth.  
  
"She's been camped out in the waiting room and my office waiting for you to wake up. I only just convinced her to go home. She's going to be furious that you woke up _now_ , thanks for that."  
  
"And...Butt Stallion?" Rhys asked, his heart threatening to burst with an emotion he couldn't name, but felt like...belonging.  
  
"She thought it would make you feel better. I told her that you were in the best of hands, medically speaking, but she insisted on leaving the stupid thing anyway."  
  
"It's not stupid." Rhys said, a sappy smile on his face. "Tell her thanks from me."  
  
"Whatever. You sure you're okay, cupcake?"  
  
"I...I think so."  
  
"Good." Jack sighed, nodding to himself. "Now I can ask you something."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"WHAT THE ACTUAL _FUCK_ WERE YOU THINKING?" Jack shouted, his pleasant demeanor dropping in an instant. "You could have _died_ , you stupid friggin IDIOT!"  
  
"But I didn't... and he was aiming for you-"  
  
"This shit happens to me all the time, Rhys. It's pretty much a monthly thing around here. Trust me, I'm no stranger to getting shot, or poisoned, or stabbed, or _whatever_!" Jack said, starting to pace angrily. "You, on the other hand, are not allowed to get hurt. During assassination attempts, you get under cover and you certainly _don't_ jump in the way of bullets!"  
  
"Well, excuse me for trying to save your life." Rhys groused, attempting to cross his arms and hissing in pain again.  
  
"That's not your fucking _job_!" Jack shouted, dragging his hands over his face in frustration. "Damnit Rhys, what if you died?"  
  
"So what if I'd died?!" Rhys shouted back, his eyes fiery and defiant as he stared Jack down. "You think I'd let Angel go through being an orphan? I would rather _die_ than let her go through even a _fraction_ of what I did."  
  
Jack stared at him, his mouth open, something like shock and hurt and awe flashing in his mismatched eyes. "You're an idiot, Rhys." He said at last, his voice toneless and flat. He left without saying another word, the door slamming hard enough to shake the walls behind him.

* * *

  
"Rhys?!"  
  
"Hi, Vaughn. Hi, Yvette." Rhys said, picking at his meal dejectedly. "How ya been?"  
  
" _How ya been_? That's what you have to say to us?" Vaughn ranted, in full freak out mode. "Bro, you got _shot_!"  
  
"Really. You don't say. I was wondering where that hole in my side came from." Rhys said sarcastically, finally giving up on eating what the medical wing considered food. He wouldn't feed that to a starving skag.  
  
"See, he's still snarking up a storm. He's _fine_." Yvette said with a roll of her eyes. "From the way Vaughn tells it, you were holding onto life with the tip of your pinkie."  
  
"He's always been overdramatic." Rhys pointed out, a little part of him enjoying the way Vaughn was turning redder and redder as he and Yvette teased him.  
  
"I don't know why I was worried about your ungrateful ass." Vaughn sniffed. "Go on, keep getting shot by Jack. See if I care."  
  
"Wait, wait, wait, guys. Jack didn't shoot me." Rhys said immediately. Both Vaughn and Yvette looked at him skeptically.  
  
"Rhys, I know you admire the guy, but that's no reason to lie to us."  
  
"Guys, I'm telling the truth. He didn't shoot me. He would _never_ shoot me. There was this assassin, and-"  
  
"Wait, so now you're saying someone tried to assassinate _you_?"  
  
"He wasn't aiming for me, he hit me when I pushed Jack out of the way-"  
  
"Hold up. You're saying you saved Jack's life?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why in the world would you do that?" Vaughn squawked. "He's Handsome Jack. He's a psychopath and a murderer, and you risked your life for him?"  
  
"He's more than that, Vaughn." Rhys insisted.  
  
"Rhys."  
  
"What? He is. He's...complicated, and he may not be the cuddliest guy in the universe but he has this way of, of caring for people. He doesn't do it often, but when he does, it's...amazing."  
  
"Rhys." Yvette said, and Rhys was getting real tired of seeing that sympathetic pitying look on her face. "I think you might be in too deep. It's starting to sound like you have a crush on handsome freaking Jack."  
  
"So what if I do?" Rhys asked hotly, his face flushing. "He’s been nothing but supportive and gracious and protective of me. Why wouldn't I have a crush on him?"  
  
"That is so dangerous, I can barely comprehend it." Vaughn said in horror. "That's it, as soon as you're healed, we're hopping the next shuttle out of here-"  
  
"No. I'm not leaving."  
  
"Rhys, why would you possibly keep working for someone so dangerous?" Vaughn asked.  
  
Rhys paused, trying to find an answer that didn't involve Angel's existence or his inappropriate crush on Jack.  
  
"I owe him my life. I'm not abandoning him." He said at last.  
  
"I hope you know what you're doing, Rhys." Yvette said quietly before she changed the subject.

* * *

  
"Rhys?"  
  
Rhys smiled, looking up at the door. "Hey, Angel."  
  
"Are you okay to have visitors?" Angel asked, hovering in the doorway. "Can I-?"  
  
"Come on in, sweetie." Rhys said, waving her inside. "Where's your escort?" Rhys narrowed his eyes at her. "You didn't come down here alone, did you?"  
  
"Nope." Angel said as she approached. "Daddy's outside. I think he's mad at you."  
  
"Oh." Rhys said, not knowing what to say to that. "What makes you think that?"  
  
"Well, when we got here, he got all growly and said he'd wait outside. Also I'm a little mad at you, too, so I know how he feels." She admitted as she clambered onto the bed.  
  
"Okay." Rhys said, drawing out the word in confusion. "Why are _you_ mad at me?"  
  
"You got hurt. You're not supposed to get hurt, Rhys."  
  
"To be fair, I didn't wake up last week and go, well, today's a good day for me to be shot." Rhys said wryly.  
  
"That's not what daddy says. Daddy says you got shot on purpose so that he _wouldn't_."  
  
"I...uh..."  
  
"I mean, I'm glad daddy didn't get shot. He whines all the time when he gets hurt."  
  
"I'll bet." Rhys said with a snicker.  
  
"But you're not allowed to get hurt either Rhys." Angel scolded. "I don't want you to go away like mommy did."  
  
"Angel..." Rhys whispered, touched.  
  
"And I don't think daddy wants you to go away either." Angel said, as if she didn't even realize the significance of what she had said.  "Daddy’s been in a bad mood ever since you got shot. He cares about you too, Rhys."  
  
"He...really?" Now Rhys felt really guilty for shouting at Jack. "Angel, honey, could you go ask your dad to come in here for a moment? There's something I want to say to him."  
  
"Okay." Angel said, hopping off the bed. She paused in the doorway, turning to point an imperious finger at Rhys.  
  
"Don't get shot anymore, Rhys." She ordered, looking so much like her father that Rhys smiled.  
  
"I'll do my best, sweetie."

* * *

  
"Ready to go, baby?" Jack growled as he stared at the wall, sitting slumped in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room.  
  
"Rhys is asking for you."  
  
"Is he now." Jack said, frowning.  
  
"Don't be mean to him, daddy. He saved your life." Angel admonished.  
  
"Well he's being mean to me by making me worry about him, so-"  
  
" _Daddy_."  
  
" _Baby_." Jack mimicked her, making her roll her eyes. "Look, you know daddy needs a bit to cool down when people make him mad. I'll talk to him later, okay?"  
  
"Do you promise?" she insisted. Jack sighed heavily.  
  
"I promise, sweetheart."  
  
"Okay." Angel sighed, knowing that was the best she was gonna get from him. "I'mma stay with Rhys a while longer. You don’t have to stay."  
  
"You sure baby?” Jack asked. “You gotta make sure somebody comes to get you when you want to leave."  
  
"As if Rhys would let me leave alone." Angel scoffed. "He's just like you, daddy. He'd never let anything bad happen to me."  
  
"Yeah. You're right, baby. He wouldn't." Jack said, thoughtful.  
  
Maybe he _could_ trust Rhys with Angel's secret. He would have to wait and see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's chapter ten not a day later! Hooray!  
> As usual, your support means the world to me!


	11. Chapter 11

Jack drummed his fingers against his desk, waiting. When his ECHO finally rang, he answered it almost instantly.  
  
"Tell me you have more information for me, TimTams.”  
  
"Um..."  
  
"What?" Jack snapped when Timothy failed to say anything.  
  
"Yeah, I can't do this." Timothy said at last. "Love, you tell him."  
  
"Timothy, darling, I love you, but you can be _such_ a coward sometimes." The haughty voice of Aurelia Hammerlock said, somehow both chastising and affectionate at the same time.  
  
"It's that cowardice that keeps me alive, love."  
  
"STOP FLIRTING AND GET TO THE POINT!" Jack shouted, interrupting them.  
  
"No need to shout, darling." Aurelia sniffed. "We did find out one more thing about your would-be assassin, but you are _not_ going to like it."  
  
"Stop wasting my time and tell me what you found out, woman!"  
  
"He was hired to kill you and take Angel."  
  
Jack froze, his hand going tight around the ECHO as he stared at nothing. "What did you just say?" He said slowly. "Tell me everything."  
  
"Timothy, darling? He wants the details." Aurelia said loftily, and there was a rush of static as the ECHO was passed between the two vault hunters once more.  
  
" _You_ give him the details." Timothy said, attempting to pass it back.  
  
"I can't be bothered with such trivial matters as details, darling, you know that."  
  
"I swear to god, if you two don't tell me everything in the next ten seconds, I'm going to moonshot the both of you." Jack snarled. Jack could hear timothy swallow even over the crappy ECHO connection.  
  
"Uh, well, we haven't figured out who hired the sonovabitch yet, but apparently the job was to follow the plan that the employer sent out with that weird ass gun, kill you, use your body to break into the penthouse and take Angel. They even knew her name, and what she looked like." Timothy paused, hearing Jack’s breathing get heavy through the ECHO connection "Boss? Jack, are you still there?"  
  
Jack roared wordlessly, throwing the ECHO against the nearest wall, barely registering it as it shattered into pieces on impact. His vision blurred, the whole world taking on a red tint as his anger grew to unbearable levels. They wanted his Angel, his baby girl, and were it not for Rhys taking a literal bullet for him, they might have had her.  
  
Jack lost track of time for a while, his body moving on his own as he systematically destroyed his office, trying and failing to lessen the feelings of rage, despair, and fear inside him.

* * *

  
Rhys walked carefully out of the elevator, holding his side as his injury twinges a bit. He had been released from the medical wing just that morning, with strict instructions to take his pain medication regularly and not take part in any strenuous activity. Since his job mostly involved sitting at a desk in a very comfy chair, and the thought of all the work that had piled up while he was away driving him crazy, he had decided he could risk going in to work.  
  
Apparently, that had been a bad call.  
  
"I wouldn't go in there if I were you." Maya said, stopping him from entering Jack's office. Rhys raised his eyebrows, but a crash from inside the office quickly answered his question. "He's in a mood."  
  
"How bad is it?" Rhys asked, squaring his shoulders.  
  
"You couldn't _pay_ me to walk in there right now without some form of protection."  
  
"Oh. _That_ bad."  
  
"Seriously, Rhys. Don't go in there." Maya said, and if Rhys hadn't know better, he'd almost say she was scared.  
  
"Someone has to try and help him." Rhys said, resolute.  
  
"Good luck." Maya whispered as Rhys walked past. "You're gonna need it."  
  
The office was completely trashed. Various furniture was in pieces across the floor, papers were scattered everywhere, scorch marks littered the walls from where Jack had taken to shooting posters with the prototype fire weapon that had been delivered last week. Rhys swallowed, heading to his own desk, which was surprisingly untouched. He was silent as he went to the coffee machine, taking the spare coffee pot from the cabinet below, as Jack had shattered the other one. He waited for Jack to say something, do something, but Jack was oddly quiet behind him, considering the wreck around him.  
  
When the coffee was ready, Rhys poured out the black liquid and brought it to Jack's desk. He noted the sparking tangle of wires where his computer used to be and made a mental note to send for a new one.  
  
"Stop." Jack growled. He was hunched over his desk, his head hanging low and his hands spread out across the bare surface, its normal contents having been swept to the floor. The knuckles of his left hand bled sluggishly, and Rhys only just barely restrained himself from darting forward to bandage them, the sight of the CEO's blood doing terrible things to his head, his instincts screaming at him to ease his pain. Jack's normally impeccably styled hair was disheveled, and his entire body shook with barely restrained fury. "Don't...don't come any closer."  
  
Rhys halted, waiting for Jack to tell him what he wanted. "I have coffee?" Rhys said, after a few moments, his eyes still on Jack's hands. Something glinted in the wound, glass, Rhys guessed, and it made the itch in his bones so much worse.  
  
"Cupcake, if you come near me right now, I won't be responsible for my actions." Jack snarled. Rhys frowned, and considered his options.  On the one hand, Jack was still probably pretty pissed at him. The safer thing to do would be to walk away until Jack calmed down, however long that took.  
  
But there was no way Rhys would be able to live with himself if he walked away now, when Jack needed him, after everything Jack had done for him.  
  
Slowly, Rhys silently approached the desk, making sure every step was barely audible.  
  
" _Rhys_..." Jack growled in warning, but Rhys merely placed the mug on Jack's desk, and backed away to a safe distance.  
  
"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked at last. "Anything I can get you?"  
  
"No. Just..." Jack huffed. "Go away."  
  
"Alright." Rhys said, his voice gentle. "I'm gonna get you something from the cafeteria. Do you want anything in particular?"  
  
"Just get out." Jack said, and there was a broken note to his voice underneath the vitriol that made Rhys' heart ache. "Leave me alone."  
  
"I'm going." Rhys said, turning towards the door. "But I'll be back. I promise."  
  
Jack said nothing. Rhys frowned as he left the office, pulling up Jack's schedule on his palm screen.  
  
"Maya, do me a favor and cancel all of Jack's meetings, would ya? No need to put anyone else in harm's way today. And could you let Gaige know that Angel will be headed her way after her lessons? She doesn't need to see her dad in this state." Rhys said to Maya, pursing his lips. "I'll need IT to send up a new computer monitor as soon as possible, and have them send me the installation specs on whatever they decide on bringing. No way he's gonna let anyone futz in there in his state-"  
  
"I can't believe you _actually_ went in there, and came back out unharmed." Maya said, awed. "You knew how pissed he is at you for the whole getting shot thing, and you went into his office during one of his rages?"  
  
"It's not a big deal." Rhys said automatically, already composing the email to IT in his head. "I'm much more valuable to him alive than dead." He waved his hand as he headed towards the elevators. "Don't let him leave the office. I'll be back in a second.  
  
"I think you're more valuable to him than you know." Maya said as Rhys moved out of earshot.

* * *

  
By the time Rhys returned to the office, Jack had migrated to the sofa, after flipping it back onto it feet. One arm was thrown over his face, and he was breathing heavily through his nose as his hands twitched and clenched sporadically.  
  
"I got you the carnivore special at that sandwich place." Rhys said, placing the sandwich on Jack's desk. "Do you want it now?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do you need more time alone, or can I stay?"  
  
"...You can stay, I guess." Jack said after a long moment. Rhys waited, but Jack remained silent.  
  
"Can I come closer?" Rhys asked. Jack tensed. "I just want to patch up your hands, I thought I saw glass in there."  
  
"Probably is." Jack said, waving his hand in the direction of his desk. "I think I punched my monitor before I threw it. First aid kit, bottom left hand drawer."  
  
Rhys immediately got the medical supplies from Jack's desk. "I thought you were still in medical." Jack said when Rhys came closer.  
  
"I couldn't stand not being useful anymore. I was close to losing my mind down there, and as long as I take it easy, I'll be fine." He assured Jack, taking his hand and activating his ECHOeye to better see the glass in the cuts.  
  
"What happened?" Rhys asked as he used a pair of tweezers to pull the slivers of glass out of Jack knuckles. Jack frowned, his arm still hiding his face.  
  
"Don't worry your pretty head about it, Rhysie."  
  
"That's not gonna happen and you know it." Rhys said lightly. "It's my job to worry about you." He paused, considering his words carefully. "How do you usually cope when you get like this?"  
  
"I kill a lot of people." Jack growled. Rhys sighed.  
  
"That works for you?"  
  
"Unreasonably well. Always has."  
  
"Alright." Rhys sighed, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. "I can compile a list of people we can afford to lose?"  
  
"You're...you'd be comfortable with that?"  
  
"No. But I'd do it anyway." The ‘for you’ was unspoken, but both men knew it was there.  
  
"...Don't." Jack mumbled at last, hissing as Rhys wiped down the glass free knuckles with antiseptic. "You don't need to do that. I'll...I'll muddle through another way."  
  
Rhys looked at Jack contemplatively as he wrapped the clean bandage around the CEO's hand. "Do you trust me, Jack?"  
  
Jack cracked one eye open, staring at Rhys. "What?"  
  
"Do you?" Rhys repeated, tying off the bandage.  
  
"Why?" Jack asked in lieu of an answer.  
  
“I might have a way to help you. Close your eyes for me?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I want to try something." Jack hesitated. "Come on, I just want to help. Let me help you. Please."  
  
Jack stared at him for a moment more before shrugging. "Whatever." He grumbled, lying back on the couch and closing his eyes. "Give it your best shot."  
  
Part of Jack was appalled at himself for putting himself in Rhys' hands like this, trusting that the cybernetic man wouldn't use this opportunity for anything nefarious. The other part just wanted the bubbling rage inside him gone, no matter what it took to get rid of it. If Rhys thought he could help without having to resort to mass murder, he might as well let the kid try.  
  
"Alright. I want you to take a deep breath, hold it for a second, then breathe out, as slow as you can. Can you do that?" Rhys asked, his voice soft and gentle.  
  
Jack didn't answer, but Rhys watched as Jack's chest expanded, stilled for a moment, then fell. "That's it, that's good." Rhys murmured. "Keep on doing that for me, handsome."  
  
The endearment came out without Rhys even thinking about it, but Jack didn't seem to mind. In fact, judging by the way his lips quirked up at the corners, he actually liked it.  
  
Jack flinched slightly when Rhys' fingers brushed his temples, but Rhys murmured assurances, and he soon settled, unconsciously falling back into the pattern of breathing.  
  
"There we go." Rhys praised, gently massaging Jack's temples. "Nothing to do but relax and keep breathing, handsome."  
  
"Rhysie..."  
  
"It's alright." Rhys murmured, ignoring Jack's mumble. "Just relax and breathe. In, and out. That's it..." He ran his flesh hand through Jack's hair, secretly delighting in the shiver that ran through Jack at the touch, his body practically melting into the sofa. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Everything is fine. I'll take care of everything. Just relax."  
  
Rhys kept up a steady stream of soothing encouragements, reassurances, and gentle touches as he lulled Jack into sleep. Once he was sure that Jack was deeply asleep, he ran his hand through Jack's hair one last time, savoring the feeling of the thick strands between his fingers. Reluctantly, he got to his feet, wincing as his spine popped and his side twinges from staying in one position too long.  
  
He had a lot of work to take care of before Jack woke up.

* * *

  
Jack woke up slowly, feeling boneless and relaxed. For a moment, he wasn't quite sure where he was, but a quick look around told him he was in his office. He frowned. Had he fallen asleep on the couch?  
  
Then the events of the morning came back to him, and he groaned, sitting up. He'd have to call the cleaner bots and get his office cleaned up, and get tech support to install a new computer...  
  
He blinked, taking in his pristine office, which he had distinct memories of trashing very thoroughly. The papers had been collected off the floor, the broken pieces of the coffee pot and mugs swept up, and there was a brand new computer monitor at his desk.  
  
"What the..."  
  
"You're awake."  
  
Jack turned to stare at Rhys, who rose from his desk and walked over to the mini fridge. "What happened to the mess?" Jack asked.  
  
"I cleaned it up." Rhys said, as if it were obvious. "Wasn’t able to get the scorch marks, though, sorry. Didn't think you'd want a cleaning crew in here while you slept." Rhys placed a sandwich and a bottle of water on Jack's desk. "When you feel up to it, you should eat something. You must be hungry."  
  
"Who installed the computer?" Jack asked, already suspecting the answer.  
  
"I did. This monitor is supposed to be better for your eyes anyway." Rhys said, gathering a stack of papers from Jack's desk and bringing them and the meal over to Jack. "Don't worry, I rescheduled all your meetings for today and sent Angel to Gaige's lab for the afternoon. Apparently their pet project just had a major breakthrough. At least that's what I think they said, it's so hard to understand them when they squeal that high." He paused, looking at Jack critically. "How do you feel?"  
  
"Better." And amazingly, he _did_ feel better, relaxed in a way that murder never really achieved. "How did you...know what to do?"  
  
"My sister Sasha used to have similar moods. I always calmed her down like that." Rhys said, and left it at that. "Are you feeling up to eating?"  
  
"Yeah." Actually, he was ravenous, and the sandwich in Rhys’ hands smelled _fucking_ delicious.  
  
"Good." Rhys said, sitting on the couch and offering Jack the sandwich. "Do you want to tell me what happened that set you off?"  
  
Jack glared down at the sandwich like it had done him wrong, suddenly not hungry. "Don't worry about it."  
  
"I am going to worry about it, regardless of whether or not you tell me." Rhys said, matter of fact. "But if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."  
  
"No. Wait." Jack said, his hand on Rhys' knee preventing the lanky man from moving. "I owe you something. For fixing everything."  
  
"You don't owe me anything, Jack. This is my job."  
  
"The assassin who almost killed you wasn't just here to kill me. He was also sent to take Angel."  
  
Rhys froze, his whole body going still. "Angel? They were after _Angel_?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"How..." Rhys swallowed, his mouth dry. Knowing that, he was surprised Jack had confined his swath of destruction to his office. "How would they even know about Angel? Most people on Helios have never heard her _name_ , much less _seen_ her. How could anyone have found out about her?"  
  
"All excellent questions, pumpkin." Jack said, getting to his feet and stretching out his arms, his spine popping loudly. "And to find that out, I have to do something I _seriously_ don't want to do."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I have to beg my ex for help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters in as many days! And unfortunately, this is where my streak ends. Between working overnight all weekend and only having the bare bones of the next chapter written, if I get something out before Monday, it will be a miracle. As usual, I am ever more inspired whenever you guys leave comments, so keep em coming, kiddos!


	12. Chapter 12

"Oh." Rhys said, gathering himself together, steadfastly ignoring the prickle at the back of his neck at the word _ex_. "I'll, uh, get out of your hair then-"  
  
"No." Jack said, catching Rhys' arm. "I need you for this, Rhysie."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"I need you to go meet her. On Pandora."  
  
"Are you serious?" Rhys balked, his eyes going wide as his skin paled. "Jack-"  
  
"I know I'm asking a lot, Rhysie." Jack said, getting to his feet and pacing him front of the couch. "More than I should ever ask of you. But I _need_ you, kiddo. She knows all of my people, and she's much less likely to shoot you on sight than anyone else."  
  
"Jack-"  
  
"You'll have protection, obviously, but it has to be just you in the beginning, cupcake."  
  
"Jack, I...I can't."  
  
Going home, being that close to Fiona and Sasha and knowing that he can't go find them, that even if he did, he wouldn't be welcomed... It would eat at him, bring him right back to where he was when he arrived on Helios, anxious and constantly frightened of what could be happening to his family. The years had dulled the feelings, but Rhys knew it would take only seconds for them to come back.  
  
"You are the only person I trust to fight for my baby girl as hard as I will, Rhys." Jack said. "I _know_ that if I send you, you will do _whatever_ it takes to keep Angel safe." Jack stopped his pacing, pinning Rhys where he was with the intensity of his gaze. "I would not ask this of you if I didn't think you could do it. Please, Rhys. I'm begging you."  
  
"I..." Handsome Jack did not _beg_. Handsome Jack ordered, and always got his way. But he had not ordered Rhys to do this, Rhys realized. He was asking, _pleading_ with Rhys, of all people. "Jack..."  
  
" _Please_. Please help me help her."  
  
Rhys thought about it, about his fears of returning to Pandora, his anxiety, and about this situation, which was dangerous at best and downright suicidal at worst.  
  
But then he looked at Jack, who had gotten him the best medical care money could buy when he was hurt, who had held him as he was bleeding and frightened, who had no reason to care about Rhys' safety or peace of mind but did all the same, and Rhys knew he would do anything Jack asked and more.  
  
"Okay. I'll do it."

* * *

  
"Tell me the plan again." Jack instructed as he adjusted Rhys' sleeve around the tiny hidden pistol he had commissioned for Rhys from Gladstone.  
  
"Jack. I know the plan. We've been over it about a million times."  
  
"And now it'll be a million and one. Tell me. The plan."  
  
"I fast travel to opportunity, where a team will be waiting to take me to this Moxxi person. I calmly walk up to her, and ask if I can speak privately with her, then I call you so you two can speak." Rhys recited, the plan having been drilled into him so many times he figured he would remember the plan until he died, which hopefully would be a long time coming. "At the first sign of trouble, you'll have the place surrounded by loaders. You'll be in my ear the entire time."  
  
"That's right, Rhysie." Jack said, satisfied. "I haven't seen your instincts fail you yet, so the instant you feel something is off, you let me know, and I’ll get you out of there."  
  
"I know you will."  
  
Of this, Rhys had no doubts.

“Okay.” Rhys said, taking a deep breath. “Wish me luck?”  
  
"Wait. Take this." Jack said, turning Rhys back around and unhooking his pocket watch from his own vest. "It used to be just a cloaking device until I upgraded the shit out of it. Now it's a cloak _and_ one of the most powerful shields in existence." Jack explained as he attached it to Rhys.  
  
"Jack, I can't take this-"  
  
"You're gonna, because if you come back in anything less than one piece, I'm going to go on a killing spree that will last for _weeks_. Do you understand? I will rain _fire_ on that planet if you get hurt."  
  
"Jack..." Rhys breathed, touched, but Jack waved his comments aside, pushing him towards the fast travel station.  
  
"Time to go, pumpkin." Jack said, activating the terminal. "Stick to the plan. Come home safe."

* * *

  
Rhys shuddered as the electric sensation of being rematerialized faded away, his stomach rolling unpleasantly at the feeling. He blinked around at the office, a near twin to the one Jack had on Helios, except instead of a midnight sky, the hot Pandoran sun gleamed through the open window.  
  
"Hey, dude." A voice said from behind him. "Was wondering when you'd get here."  
  
Seeing Timothy was still a jarring experience, but Rhys recovered quickly, his eyes flicking over to the aristocratic woman he had never seen before. She was regal, and Rhys had the strangest urge to bow to her. She had Timothy laid out across the couch, his head in her lap as she played with his hair distractedly.  
  
"So this is the extraordinary PA I've heard so much about." She said airily. She pinched Timothy's side, making him squirm. "You didn't say he was so cute. How did something that cute just fall into Jack's lap?"  
  
"I fell into _your_ lap." Timothy reminded her, she waved a dismissive hand.  
  
"Yes, but I am accustomed to getting nice things, darling."  
  
"Uh..." Rhys said, interrupting their conversation with trepidation.  
  
"Oh right. Rhys, this exquisite creature is Lady Aurelia Hammerlock." Timothy said, sitting up and stretching lightly. "She's my girlfriend."  
  
"Girlfriend is such an inane word, darling." Aurelia pouted. "Come up with something less juvenile."  
  
"Paramour?" Timothy tried after a moment of thought.  
  
"Much better." She purred, walking her fingers down Timothy's chest and pulling him into a kiss. Rhys cleared his throat uncomfortably.  
  
"I'd really rather get this over with." He said, a little impatiently.  
  
"Right, sorry." Timothy said with a blush. "Let's head out then. Jack go over the plan with you?"  
  
"Only about a million times."  
  
"Hey, you're important to him, and he's basically send you into the lion's den. I'd be freaked out too."

* * *

  
"You okay, dude? You're looking kinda...not okay."  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
He was _not_ fine. He was not even _close_ to fine. Every second he spent on this hellish planet was dangerous, and he could feel the panic rising in his chest despite his best efforts to quash it.  
  
Rhys nearly jumped out of his skin when his ECHO began to chime. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he answered it. "Hello?"  
  
"It's me."  
  
Just hearing Jack's voice took the edge off the panic, and that itself was slightly worrying, but at the moment, Rhys was nothing but grateful.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"How are you holding up, kiddo?" Jack asked. "And don't say you're fine if you're not."  
  
"I've been better." Rhys said, acutely aware of Aurelia and Timothy's eyes on him.  
  
"I'm sorry you have to do this."  
  
"It's okay. You didn't have a choice." Rhys said with a sigh. "I mean, who else could ride that fine line between being in the know and relatively expendable?"  
  
Rhys knew immediately that that had been the wrong thing to say, even in jest. Jack was silent for so long that Rhys wondered if the call had been dropped. "Sir? Are you still there?"  
  
" _That's_ why you think I sent you? Because you're _expendable_?"  
  
"I was just kidding-" Rhys said, trying to save face, but Jack cut him off with a snarl.  
  
"You're lucky you're down on Pandora right now, kiddo, but you and I are going to be having _words_ about you thinking shit like that when you get back."  
  
"Jack-"  
  
"Now you listen to me very, very carefully, Rhysie, because I am only going to say this once." Jack growled, his voice so deep it rumbled in Rhys’ chest. "You are one of the most competent, trustworthy, and important people on my payroll, and if I didn't trust you more than I've trusted anyone in _forever_ , I wouldn't have sent on this fucking mission. You're not fucking expendable, do you understand me?"  
  
"I understand." Rhys murmured, hearing Jack's angry words for what they really were. "Thanks, Jack. I won't let you down."  
  
"I know you won't, Rhysie."

* * *

  
"Can you still hear me, kiddo?" Jack's voice asked, staticky in his ear.  
  
"Yeah, I can hear you." Rhys replied as he stood outside the bar, Timothy and Aurelia hovering by their car across the street. "This place looks like a strip club." Rhys commented, eyeing the triple red X's with distaste. The whole bar was a step above a dive, in Rhys opinion, and he missed the chrome of Helios already.  
  
"Knowing Moxxi, it very well could be." Jack said dryly. "Still not too late to turn around. I wouldn't blame you."  
  
"Yes, you would. But not as much as I would blame myself if anything happened to Angel." Rhys sighed, squaring his shoulders and entering the bar. "Which one's Moxxi?" Rhys asked when he was inside, wrinkling his nose at the smell of cheap booze, blood, and smoke, eyeing the scantily clad wait staff warily.  
  
"The clown faced bitch with the enormous rack." Jack sighed. "She's probably behind the bar."  
  
"Wow, Jack." Rhys said, eyeing the woman in question.  
  
"I know, it was a moment of weakness, shut up." Jack snapped, but there was no bite to his words. "Just talk to her."  
  
Rhys swallowed hard, approaching the bar and trying not to look as if he was walking to his doom.  
  
"What can I get you, sugar?" The woman purred, her eyes traveling up and down the length of his entire body.  
  
"Are you Moxxi?" Rhys asked, wanting to be sure.  
  
"That's me-" Moxxi's eyes narrowed suddenly, her flirty demeanor fading in an instant. "That's an interesting little trinket on your chest there, doll."  
  
"Fuck. I didn't think she'd recognize the watch." Jack cursed in his ear. "Get out of there, Rhysie."  
  
Rhys ignored him. He hadn't come all this way for nothing. Besides, Angel's safety was on the line. "Is there a place we can speak privately, ma'am? I have a very important message for you."  
  
"Nice try. Jack can't fool me that easily." Moxxi snarled, pulling a gun out from under the bar and leveling it at Rhys' head. "Get out of my bar before I call in the big guns. Trust me when I say you don't want to mess with them."  
  
"Wait." Rhys said. The gun was surprisingly inconsequential to Rhys, knowing he had Jack's protection attached to his vest. "Please, ma'am. He wouldn't come to you unless he had no other choice."  
  
"Tell her it's about Angel." Jack said in his ear.  
  
"It's about Angel."  
  
Moxxi's eyes widened for a moment, the gun dipping very slightly. "Angel?" She repeated, and her face softened just a little bit.  
  
"Please, ma'am. Just hear me out." Rhys said, knowing in his heart that he had her on the ropes.  
  
"I'll hear you out. But if I see you move wrong, I'll have you strung up and left for the skags." Moxxi said at last, lowering the gun. "Not out here. Follow me."  
  
Rhys obeyed, shadowing her as she led him into a storeroom behind the bar, the noise of the bar falling silent as the door shut behind them.  
  
"Are you one of Jack's pet vault hunters?"  
  
"Hardly. I'm his PA."  
  
"He sent me his assistant? Must not be as big a deal as I thought."  
  
"It is. But it's better if he tells you." Rhys said, activating his palm screen with a thought, swiveling it around so Jack could see Moxxi and vice versa.  
  
"Jack."  
  
"Moxxi." Jack said, his voice mockingly jovial. "How ya doin? Betrayed anyone trying to help people recently? I know that's kinda your thing."  
  
"Wow. Not helpful." Rhys muttered.  
  
"The only reason I'm even standing here right now is for Angel. Do not try my patience, Jack."  
  
"Right." Jack sighed. "Look Mox, I didn't send Rhys all the way down there just so I could fight with you. I need..." Jack swallowed dryly, closing his eyes. "I need your help."  
  
"What happened? Is Angel okay?"  
  
"Some assassin douche bag broke into Helios and tried to kill me so he could take her." Jack said, his voice steady. "They hacked my security, got all the way up to my office and shot Rhys here. I need to find out how they did it and what they want with Angel."  
  
"Why should I help you?" Moxxi said. "I shouldn't even be talking to you right now. What's in this for me?  
  
"You of all people should understand how terrifying it is to know your child is in danger." Jack said quietly.  "Find out where this guy came from, and I'll owe you a no questions asked favor. Whatever you want, Mox." Jack took a deep fortifying breath. "Please, Mox. She's in trouble, and I have to protect her. Please."  
  
"...I'll see what I can find out. But I'm doing this for Angel. This doesn't change anything between us. And I will cash in that favor one day."  
  
"Thanks, Mox." Jack sighed. "Rhys will give you an ECHO you can use to contact me. Call me when you have something." Jack disconnected the call abruptly, leaving Rhys awkwardly standing in front Moxxi.  
  
"Here." Rhys said, pulling out the ECHO Jack had mentioned and held it out to Moxxi. She merely stood there, assessing him, her painted lips pursed tightly.  
  
"What's your relationship with Jack, kid?" Moxxi asked suddenly. Rhys started.  
  
"I told you. I'm his PA."  
  
"Beyond that. How long have you two been sleeping together?"  
  
" _What_?" Rhys squawked, a slightly hysterical laugh bubbling out of him. "We're not...that's _ridiculous_. He's _Handsome_ _Jack_."  
  
"You know about Angel. He trusted you to do this mission for him. And that look in his eyes when he mentioned you were hurt..." She shook her head. "Handsome Jack doesn't care about regular people. Never has. So if you're not sleeping with him-"  
  
"Hey. He does care." Rhys snapped, his embarrassment fading, only to be replaced by righteous indignation on Jack's behalf. "Maybe not about everybody, but he does care about his friends. And he cares about Angel. He'd do literally anything to keep her safe."  
  
"She's a thing to him, a possession. He doesn't actually care about her, or he wouldn't hide her away."  
  
"You couldn't be more wrong. He just wants her safe. That's...understandable, given who he is. There's so many people who could use her to hurt him. I'd do exactly the same if she were..." Rhys forcibly swallowed the rest of his statement. "He's a good father. And I'm happy to help him."  
  
Moxxi's mouth dropped open, her eyes wide as she stared at Rhys. "What?" Rhys snapped.  
  
"Holy _shit_ , you're in love with him." Moxxi breathed at last. When Rhys could only blush hotly, unable to find it in himself to deny her claim, she started to laugh. "That is the _dumbest_ thing I've ever seen. You might be the dumbest idiot in the universe if you think that's going to work out well for you."  
  
Rhys glared at her, feeling color spread down the back of his neck. "Thank you for your time, Miss Moxxi. I think I'll be going now."  
  
"He'll turn on you. He's like a rabid skag, he can't help himself. One day, you'll see."  
  
"You're wrong." Rhys said over his shoulder. "You're just wrong."  
  
Rhys walked out of the bar with his head held high and his fists clenched. In his irritation, he didn't notice the man in the corner perk up at the sight of him, his hand fumbling for his ECHOcom.  
  
"Boss." He said into the communicator. "You'll never _guess_ who's back on Pandora..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me, one day early, y'all. :) And now that I am free from my corporate Panera shackles, updates should come much faster! As always, comments are adored and coveted and I love everyone who leaves one.


	13. Chapter 13

"You okay, dude?" Timothy asked when Rhys came storming out of the bar, his face dark and color still riding hot in his cheeks.  
  
"Fine." He grumbled. "Can I get off this planet now?"  
  
"Sure thing." Timothy said, studying Rhys contemplatively. "Let's get going then."  
  
Both he and Aurelia watched Rhys carefully as the car began to drive towards Opportunity.  "You sure you're okay, man? Did Moxxi say anything to you?"  
  
"I told you, I'm _fine_."  
  
"You don't look fine-"  
  
"Timothy, darling." Aurelia murmured in his ear. "I think our charge here would like to be left alone with his thoughts for a while."  
  
"But-"  
  
"That is the face of a man who has realized something he is not wholly comfortable with. Let him be, love."  
  
Rhys could have kissed her. All he wanted was to assess the crazy mess he had gotten himself into.  
  
It sounded crazy, even to himself, but Rhys hadn't really realized that he was in love with Handsome Jack until Moxxi had pointed it out. Sure, there had always been strong feelings of hero worship, and maybe a little bit of a celebrity crush, but that wasn't the same as what Rhys felt now.  
  
But...  
  
Rhys glared out the tinted window of the car. It wasn't like there was any chance something could _happen_ between them. Rhys was some nobody from Pandora who'd managed to get lucky enough times to get where he was. Jack was...he was _Handsome_ _Jack_. There was no way, _no_ _way_ Jack would ever see him as anything most than a useful employee, a tool in his belt he could always count on.  
  
And Rhys was fine with that. Really. He was.  
  
Maybe if he just kept telling himself that, eventually everyone, including himself, would believe it.  
  
The cheery chime of his ECHOcom pulled Rhys from his thoughts, and he pressed the button on his earpiece. "We're on our way back now, Jack." He said, doing his best to keep his voice from becoming anything other than pleasant.  
  
"I know that, kiddo." Jack said, his voice bright, not picking up on Rhys' mood. "Turn on your palm screen, cupcake. Someone wants to say hello."  
  
Bewildered, Rhys obeyed, and was rewarded by the sight of Jack and Angel, sitting comfortably on the sofa in the penthouse, by the look of it.  
  
"Hi Rhys!" Angel chirped, waving frantically. "Can you see me?"  
  
"Yeah, I can see you, sweetie." Rhys said, a fond smile stretching his face, the ugly feeling from before fading away instantly.  
  
"Daddy says you're on a super-secret mission? Is it exciting? Did you have fun?"  
  
"Oodles of fun." Rhys said with a roll of his eyes. "I'd much rather be up there with you."  
  
"Well, when you come back, you should come over and we'll have dinner!" Angel looked up at her father. "Is that okay, daddy?"  
  
"Totally okay, baby." Jack said, and there was a heat to his gaze that Rhys wasn't familiar with. It made his stomach clench in anticipation despite his earlier resolution not to read too much into Jack's flirtations. "I've got something I wanna say to him anyway-"  
  
"Did you hear that?" Timothy asked sharply, interrupting Jack as his eyes searching the wasteland outside the window.  
  
"What was it?" Aurelia asked, instantly alert as well.  
  
"Sounded like...a boom." The doppelgänger muttered.  
  
Jack stiffened. "What's going on, Rhysie?" He asked, sensing trouble.  
  
Rhys shook his head. "I don't kn-"  
  
"INCOMING!" Timothy's voice shouted, pulling both Aurelia and Rhys down in the car, and Angel and Jack had a moment to see the look of terror on Rhys' face before there was a resounding boom, a flash of light engulfing the screen before it went completely dark.

* * *

  
"Rhys! RHYS!" Jack shouted, pressing buttons on his ECHOdevice frantically, fear curling in his stomach as he tried to recover the video feed. "Shit, shit, _shit_ -!"  
  
"What happened? Is Rhys okay?" Angel asked, her voice high and terrified. "Daddy, is Rhys _okay_?"  
  
"Timothy! Aurelia! Rhys! Do you copy?" Jack snapped into the private com at his ear. All he got in response was a crackle of static. "GodDAMNIT!"  
  
"Daddy, is Rhys...dead?" Angel asked.  
  
"No. He can't be." Jack said, his voice hushed.  
  
Jack didn't care about a lot of things, but he would never forgive himself if Rhys died.  
  
"Daddy?"  
  
Jack focused his attention on his daughter, who was looking up at him with fear, fat tears falling steadily from her eyes.  
  
"Listen to me, baby." Jack said, struggling to keep his voice calm. "Daddy's not going to let anything happen to Rhys, or Timothy or Aurelia. But to do that, I have to go to Pandora right away, and you have to be strong for me." He thumbed away her tears. "Because I can't leave you when you're upset, baby girl. I just can't."  
  
Not just because it physically hurt to see his daughter in tears, but because her newly awakened powers, apparently triggered by high emotion, could get out of hand very, very quickly.  
  
"Daddy, you _have_ to go save him!" Angel said, wiping her eyes desperately. "Please daddy, I'll be okay, I promise!"  
  
"That's my girl." Jack said, relieved. "I'll have Gaige and Maya come up to the penthouse to keep you company, while Axton and Wilhelm and I go down to Pandora. Is that okay?"  
  
"Yeah, that's okay, but hurry, daddy! Rhys could be hurt, right now!"  
  
"Okay baby, can you go into your room? Daddy's probably going to yell a lot and I don't want you to be scared."  
  
"You'll say goodbye before you leave, though, right?"  
  
"Course I will, sweetheart." Jack said, kissing her forehead. "But I need you to stay in your room until then, okay?"  
  
"Okay." Angel said, running off to her room. Jack watched her go, taking several deep breaths to tamp down the urge to break things in favor of forming a plan, dialing a number on his ECHO.  
  
"WILHELM!" Jack roared into his ECHO the instant it connected. "Get to the hangar and prep the moonshot cannon with an ATV and a half dozen Loaders, then grab Axton and meet me there. We're going to Pandora."  
  
"The hell are we going to Pandora for, Jackie?"  
  
"Does it fucking matter? Just _do_ it!" Jack shouted, hanging up and redialing a second later. "Maya! Get your ass to the penthouse. Grab Gaige on the way up."  
  
"What the hell is going on, Jack?"  
  
"Someone attacked Rhys. I'm sealing you and Gaige in the penthouse with Angel until I get back." Jack answered tersely, punching in his combination to his personal armory.  
  
"You're going down _yourself_?"  
  
"You got something to say about that, Maya?" Jack growled, strapping a variety of dangerous looking guns to his person.  
  
"You _hate_ going to Pandora."  
  
"I hate losing my people more." Jack snarled. "Your ass better be here in the next ten minutes, siren, or you're going out a window."  
  
"Jack-"  
  
"Just _get_ here." Jack growled, knowing he would have to apologize to her later and not giving a shit. Deeming himself sufficiently outfitted, he stalked out of his armory to find Angel waiting for him by the door.  
  
"Bye, daddy." She said, holding her arms out for a hug. "Come home safe, okay?"  
  
"You know I will, baby girl." Jack said, hugging her fiercely and kissing the top of her head. "Be good. I'll be back soon."  
  
"And daddy?" She called after Jack as he stepped through the door, the hydraulics already in motion.  
  
"Yeah, baby?"  
  
"Don't let them get away with hurting Rhys." She said, her eyes hard as steel. " _Nobody_ messes with us."  
  
Jack blinked at the door as it shut, his mouth open wide. After a few moments, he shook his head, resolving to deal with _that_ new development when he returned.  
  
Right now, he had people to save.

* * *

  
The sonic boom of the moonshot echoed over the wasteland of Pandora. A curious skag perked up its head at the sound, its tongue lolling out as it looked around for the source of the noise...  
  
Only to have the source crush it into a smear of red on the dry cracked earth as the moonshot container skidded across the dirt, the outside falling away to reveal six fully outfitted Loaders already in flight, and one dangerous looking vehicle with three equally dangerous men riding inside.  
  
"Oh _fuck_..." Axton murmured, seeing the plume of smoke rising in the distance. "Is that where-"  
  
"It is." Jack snapped. "Floor it, Wilhelm."  
  
Wilhelm obeyed, and the ATV shot foreword, leaving the Loaders in the dust.  
  
The dread coiling inside Jack tightened as they arrived at the wreckage of the car, parts of it still flaming even now.  
  
"I don't see them..." Axton muttered. Jack ignored him.  
  
"Tim!" Jack called, his voice echoing grotesquely. " _Timmy_!"  
  
"-ack?" A voice sounded from somewhere behind him.  
  
Jack whirled around. "Tim!" He shouted.  
  
"Over here!"  
  
"Timmy!" Jack felt relief threaten to overcome him as he spotted the doppelgänger, teetering out from under an outcropping of rock. "What the hell happened?" He asked when he was within hearing range. He saw the unconscious form of Aurelia hidden under the same rock, and had to take several deep breaths to control his rage.  
  
"Vehicle got blown up." Timothy said, holding a scrap of his own shirt against a bleeding wound on his head. Jack held his head still for a moment, taking note of his unevenly dilated eyes. "Rocket launcher, I think, but there was also some kind of EMP that went off, couldn't call for help."  
  
"EMP?" Jack repeated, horrified, thinking of Rhys and his cybernetic implants. How deep did they run? Jack had never thought to ask... "Where's Rhys?"  
  
"Uh..." Timothy glanced back at Aurelia, as if she would suddenly wake up and offer backup.  
  
"What?" Jack snapped, forcing his eyes back to Jack.  
  
"He's not...he's not here."  
  
"What do you mean he's not here?"  
  
"When I came to, I looked for him, but I couldn't find him. He wasn't here. I think whoever bombed us took him."  
  
Jack snarled inarticulately for a moment, letting go of Timothy lest he do something he'd regret. "Search the wreckage!"  
  
"I've got something!" Axton shouted. "Jesus motherfucking _Christ_..."  
  
"What is it?" Jack asked, already moving in Axton’s direction. "Talk to me."  
  
"I saw it under some scrap...I thought it might be him..."  
  
And he held out a cybernetic arm, the socket where it attached still sparking faintly, the fingers limp and the joints sagging. Its paint job was deteriorated to the point where it was almost unrecognizable, but Jack would know it anywhere.  
  
"Fuck." Jack cursed, his vision swimming for a moment. Don't kill anyone here, he told himself. These people are irreplaceable.  
  
"I'm sorry, Jack."  
  
"No." Jack hissed, his hands shaking. "We're gonna keep looking. We'll head back to Opportunity. Tim and Aurelia need medical attention, and we regroup."  
  
"Jack-"  
  
Axton choked as Jack descended on him, lightning fast, his eyes flashing dangerously as he fisted his hands in the commando's jacket, practically lifting him up to his face.  
  
"Let me make this _perfectly_ clear. We are _not_ leaving this planet without him. And if we don't find him alive, I am going to kill _every_ _single_ _person_ on this godforsaken planet, do you understand me? FIND HIM!"

* * *

  
The first thing Rhys noticed when he awoke was the blood dripping down his side slowly. He grimaced, knowing Jack was going to be mad that he had ripped out some of his stitches from the gunshot wound. He also noticed that his cybernetic arm was missing, and that his other wrist had been drawn over his head, tied to something above him.  
  
But the most horrible thing Rhys was aware of was the _smell_. Wherever he was, it smelled like rotgut whiskey, old blood, and that damp, dark smell that only came from places that never really saw the light of day.  
  
Rhys groaned under his breath, fear and anger filling his entire being. He knew _exactly_ where he was.  
  
"Ah, you're _finally_ awake." A familiar voice sneered, as a rough hand snaked through his hair, gripping hard and pulling his face up. He glared at the person who starred in his nightmares, trying to hide the terror flooding through him, especially since he could only see out of one eye. "Was beginning to think you'd keep me waiting _forever_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry this is so late guys. It was very difficult to get into the mindset of this chapter, but hopefully I'll ride this wave to the next chapter and get it out much faster. As always, comments make my entire decade. Happy Belated Thanksgiving!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: I changed a word at the end of last chapter because I decided to go in a different direction. So you might want to read the last couple of paragraphs from the last chapter again. Up to you.

"Vallory." Rhys snarled. "What the fuck do you want?"  
  
"Well, looks like your time away from home hasn't dulled your sharp tongue." Vallory crooned, fisting her hand in his hair and pulling harshly, drawing a grunt out of Rhys. "You know I don't tolerate that kind of language from you."  
  
"That's the only language you're getting out of me, _bitch_." Rhys spat, his mind frantic as he assessed his situation; trapped, no way to call for help, alone with the one person he had never wanted to see again.  
  
The odds were not in his favor.  
  
Rhys' head whipped around, his cheek stinging from the older woman's slap. "Watch your fucking tongue, boy." She hissed, before her voice became sickly sweet again. "I don't want to have to get rough ahead of schedule."  
  
"What. Do. You. Want?" Rhys growled, his eyes defiant.  
  
"Oh I'll get to that in a bit, son." Vallory chuckled. "For now I just want to catch up. How've you been? Haven't seen you planetside much since you turned _traitor_."  
  
"I didn't turn traitor." Rhys snapped, defensive despite himself.  
  
"I'm sorry, how exactly do you figure that? You steal from me, abandon your family, and run off to join one of the worst corporations in the universe-"  
  
"To get away from YOU! So that you couldn't hurt me or my family anymore!" Rhys spat.  
  
"Oh, but you _liked_ the way we hurt you. At least..." She gave a meaningful glance over to the bar, and Rhys followed her gaze. To his surprise, he saw August, lurking half behind the bar and looking very uncomfortable with the whole situation. "You liked the way _some_ of us hurt you."  
  
"No, I didn't. I _don't_. I had no choice."   
  
"You keep telling yourself that, son, but you and I both know that's not true." Rhys flinched away from the finger vallory trailed down his cheek. "You wouldn't have stayed so long if you didn't like it a little."  
  
"What do you want, Vallory?" Rhys growled, the sick feeling in his stomach intensifying as he forcibly shook that thought from his head. "I assume you didn't blow me up and kidnap me just to chat."  
  
"You're right. I didn't." Vallory mused, before driving her fist into Rhys' stomach.  


* * *

  
"I swear to GOD if he is not found in the next two hours I am going to start killing you all at random intervals! What is taking so FUCKING LONG?" Jack bellowed, stalking around the makeshift command center they had cobbled together. The analysts flinched at their stations, trembling, with sweat dripping down their backs, and Axton had had _enough_.  
  
"Jack." Axton growled, catching the CEO's arm and dragging him out of the command center. "You need to calm down. Nothing will go faster with you scaring the shit out of the analysts."  
  
"But-" Jack started to say, but Axton held up a hand to stop him.  
  
"You're starting to sound more scared than angry, Jack." Axton said honestly, looking at his boss's disheveled appearance, the tremor in his hands and the frantic way his eyes darted back to the door of the center. "I will hold down the fort here. Go check on Timothy and Aurelia if you need something to do."  
  
"…You better call me the instant they find anything, you understand?" Jack said, seeing the logic in the commando's request despite his rage and fear. "The _instant_."  
  
"You know I will." Axton said with a nod, disappearing back into the room.  
  
Jack huffed, stuffing shaking hands into his pocket and heading towards the infirmary. He was barely halfway there when his ECHO began to chime.  
  
"Did you find something?" He asked immediately, not bothering to look at the caller.  
  
"It's me."  
  
"Maya?" Cold dread flooded through Jack. "What's wrong? Is Angel okay?  
  
"Angel wants to talk to you. She's been freaking out and...she's starting to glow a bit."  
  
"Fuck." Jack said, taking a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. "Has Gaige noticed?"  
  
"I don't think so, but unless she calms down..."  
  
"Put her on."  
  
"Hey, sweetie, it's your daddy." Maya's voice said, and there was a moment of static before Angel's voice reached his ears.  
  
"Daddy, did you find him?" Angel asked immediately, her voice hoarse and raspy in a way the Jack knew meant she had been crying. Jack had to take several deep breaths to tamp down the urge to run to the nearest fast travel station. "Is he okay, daddy?"  
  
"We've almost got him, baby. We'll be home soon, don't you worry." Jack assured her, trying to sound calmer and more optimistic than he really felt.  
  
"Daddy, I don't understand. Why was he even down there, if it's so dangerous? Maya and Felicity won't tell me _anything_."  
  
"He...he was running an errand for me, baby." Jack said at last, searching his mind for a version of the truth he could tell her.  
  
"What could be so important that he would go someplace so dangerous?" She asked.  
  
Jack bit down in his tongue, the words "You are, baby" trapped in his throat feeling like molten steel. He remembered how terrified Rhys had looked, how he tried to convince Jack to send someone, _anyone_ else, and how Jack had made him go anyway, had guilted and manipulated him into saying yes, and he wanted to be sick.  
  
"Daddy? Are you still there?"  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here, baby." Jack said.  
  
"Daddy, he can't go back to Pandora _ever_ _again_. He has to stay with us, up here, so we can protect him. Can you make that happen?"  
  
Jack stared unseeingly out the window, tossing the idea around in his head. To have Rhys close, where Jack could protect him, where Rhys could look after both Angel and Jack all the time, and fill that empty space that Jack had always tried to pretend wasn't lurking in their home.  
  
The space that Angel's mother should have filled.  
  
"I think that's a great idea, baby girl."  


* * *

  
"Hey."  
  
Rhys flinched away from the hand resting on his shoulder, his muscles screaming in agony, acutely aware of every bruise Vallory's beating had left behind.  
  
"Shh, shh, it's just me." August murmured. Rhys felt himself relax minutely despite himself. "Here, drink this."  
  
Rhys grimaced at the vile tasting water August offered, but downed it anyway, feeling the excess dribble from the corners of his mouth.  
  
"There we go, babe." August encouraged. "You should have stayed on Helios."  
  
"Yeah, I got that impression." Rhys muttered once he had finished the water. "Where are Sasha and Fiona?"  
  
"Safe. Away from here. Fiona's been training with this crazy Vault Hunter chick, and Sasha's...being Sasha." August shrugged. "I honestly don't know where Sasha is, but Fiona's not worried, so neither am I."

“But they’re safe? She doesn’t know where they are?”

“No.”

"Good." He wiggled his wrist. "Any chance you could bust me out? For old time's sake?"  
  
"You know I can't."  
  
"Right." Rhys said, anger boiling inside him. "I forgot how short your noble streak runs. Just about as long as your-"  
  
"Come on, don't be like that, babe." August interrupted, offended. "You know the drill. I do what Vallory says, but that doesn't mean I always agree with her. It's not my fault-"  
  
"It _was_ your fault. It _still_ _is_ your fault. You could say no. You could refuse."  
  
"And then you'd be dead." August said. "You know that's how she kept me in line."  
  
"There were times when being dead was preferable."  
  
"Don't make this harder for me." August hissed, as jingling footsteps echoed outside the bar. "I don't want to watch you die."  
  
"Find someone to help me then, if you don't have the guts to do it yourself."  


* * *

  
"Hey, TimTams." Jack said, trying to sound gentle. "How's the noggin?"  
  
"Doctor's says I have a concussion. Aurelia’s fine, just a few scrapes." Timothy said, gripping the sheets tightly, looking up at Jack with trepidation. "You aren't here to smother me with my pillow, are you?"  
  
"What? No. Why would I-"  
  
"Because I let something happen to Rhys. You said if I let something happen to Rhys, I was a dead man." Timothy said.  
  
Jack blinked at him for a moment. "I threaten you all the time. Haven't gone through with them yet."  
  
"This time was different." Timothy said softly. "This time you _meant_ it."  
  
"I...fuck." Jack sighed, sitting in the chair at the doppelgänger' bedside. "I'm not gonna kill you."  
  
"Have you found Rhys yet?" Timothy asked after a few moments of tense silence.  
  
"Still looking."  
  
"I'm sorry this is happening to you." Timothy said softly. "If it were me, if it were Aurelia in danger, I would be...inconsolable. Unreasonable."  
  
"Yeah. I know."  
  
"You should tell him. When you find him."  
  
"Tell him what?"  
  
"That you're in love with him."  
  
"I..."  
  
In love? With Rhys? He had only known Rhys a short while, but Jack couldn’t deny that he cared about the cybernetic man. But _love_?

Did he even know how that felt anymore?  
  
"If not for yourself, do it for him." Timothy said, his hand warm on Jack's shoulder. "He needs to hear it too."  
  
Jack opened his mouth, to say what, he didn't know, but was interrupted by the sound of his ECHO.  
  
"Yeah?" he said, looking away from Timothy and his knowing eyes.  
  
"We found him."  


* * *

  
"Talk to me." Jack snarled as he entered the command center. The analyst hovering by Axton started, pushing his glasses up his sweaty nose.  
  
"I saw a b-blink, I think it might have been the t-t-tracker on your watch, sir. W-Whatever they were using to j-jam the signal must have m-m-malfunctioned or something."  
  
"Are you sure?" Jack asked lowly. "Sure enough to bet your life in it?"  
  
"Y-Y-Yes, s-sir."  
  
"Get the Loaders and some soldiers, Axton, and get us there as fast as you can." Jack said, a sinister smile stretching across his face. "Let's show these assholes who they've messed with.  


* * *

  
"What the hell is this place?" Jack asked, as the convoy entered the long winding tunnel that marked the entrance to the city.  
  
"The city's name is Hollow Point." Axton said, his eyes on the road. "Smart bandits, setting up shop underground. No wonder we couldn't get a read on the tracker."  
  
"Have the Loaders fan out across the city. I want Rhys found _ten_ _minutes_ _ago_ , do you understand-"  
  
A crackle of sound shrieked into his ear, making Jack grunt in pain, his hand about to pull out the communicator in his ear when the noise faded, and a voice came through.  
  
"Shall we move on with our regularly scheduled interrogation or do you have more aggression you want to let out first?"  
  
Jack froze, his eyes going wide. "Rhys! Rhys, do you copy? Rhysie, can you hear me?"  
  
There was no response from Rhys. Whatever was going on, he couldn't hear Jack, but Jack was able to hear _him_.  
  
"I'm honestly surprised you're still conscious." A raspy, female voice said, and there was a loud thump followed by a whimper that undeniably came from Rhys. "I distinctly remember you crying uncle much earlier the last time we did this."  
  
"You'd have to up your game for me to be impressed this time around. I'm not a scared little teenager anymore." Rhys' voice rasped, his breath rattling loudly in his chest and making Jack both relieved and furious. On the one hand, he was alive, wonderfully _alive_. On the other hand, he was in pain, and would continue to be in pain until Jack could find him.  
  
"I was trying to toughen you up, so you could survive out on Pandora."  
  
"Really? So the near constant physical abuse, that was for my benefit? What about the other stuff then, the psychological manipulation, the emotional torture, what was that for?"  
  
Jack froze. _Abuse_? He clenched his fists to hide the renewed tremors, as the sound of several blows and choked off gasps of pain echoed in his brain.  
  
"Fun."  The woman quipped, and there was a crackle of electricity before Rhys screamed in pain. "And don't get so high and mighty, _boy_ , you were the one using me."  
  
"So that justifies what you did to me?" Rhys retorted, his breathing labored. "That last time, you practically killed me."  
  
"To teach you a lesson."  
  
"We've got a location." Axton murmured to Jack, whose eyes were distant as he listened intently. He nodded, his attention focused on the conversation in his ear.  
  
"Oh? And what _lesson_ was that?"  
  
"You should never, _ever_ try to cross me." Another crackle, another scream. "Now give me Helios' fast travel access codes."  
  
_What_?  
  
"What?" Rhys unknowingly echoed. "The fuck do you want with those?"  
  
"Not that it's any of your concern, but somebody is offering quite a lot of money for them. Guess someone really wants to send a message to Handsome Jack."  
  
Jack's blood ran cold.  
  
"Fuck you, I'm not telling you _anything_."  
  
"Come on, son, you know you're gonna give us what I want in the end. Why not save yourself the suffering?"  
  
"You're wrong. I'm not gonna turn on him."  
  
"Who? Handsome Jack? Your little crush on that _psychopath_ has gotten even more out of hand." Vallory laughed meanly. "You think Handsome Jack is gonna care about some pandoran skagshit like _you_? You think your loyalty is going to win him over, and he'll see you as anything more than a broken piece of cannon fodder?" Crackle, scream, ending in a sobbing whimper. "You’re even more pathetic than I remember."  
  
"Get us there _now_." Jack growled. ' _Hold on, Rhys._ ' He thought to himself. ' _I'm almost there._ '  
  
"The access codes. _Now_."  
  
" _Never_." Rhys spat. "I'll _die_ before I betray him."  
  
"Ma, he's not gonna break." August said, and Jack could hear the note of unease in the man's voice.  
  
"Fine. Seems like you grew a spine on Helios." Vallory said at last. Axton signaled to Jack, who followed him blindly. "Maybe I need a different tactic. I mean, you obviously don't care what happens to _you_..."  
  
Oh, no.  
  
"But how long will you last when it's not you suffering? Maybe it's time I paid a little visit to Sasha and Fiona."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You think I don't know _exactly_ where they are? I know _everything_ that goes down in this town, and the location of those little _tramps_ is something I've always known, despite _some_ people's pathetic attempts to hide them from me.  
  
"You leave my sisters alone!" Rhys snarled, his voice suddenly cold and vicious. Jack frowned, holding his gun tightly as the Loaders and soldiers silently surrounded the location, a bar called The Purple Skag.  
  
"You can't be loyal to Hyperion and keep your family safe, son."  
  
"Ma, we never agreed on this-"  
  
"Shut up!" There was the sound of ripping flesh, and a scream of agony that, for once, didn't come from Rhys. "This will be the biggest pay day we've ever had, and I _will_ _not_ have you ruining it because you still have a soft spot for this piece of shit! Don't you remember what he did to us? How he betrayed our trust and generosity?"  
  
"We were planning on selling him out anyway, Ma! So what if he beat us to the punch? Fiona and Sasha have nothing to do with this."  
  
"You touch my sisters, and I'll make you wish you were dead." Rhys rasped. Axton signaled to Jack, waiting for his command to go in.  
  
"Big talk, but I'm not hearing any access codes." Vallory crooned, and there was a whir and the electricity sound increased in volume. "Choose."  
  
"I won't betray him. I won't." Rhys said, his voice catching on a sob.  
  
"Wrong answer, son."  
  
Jack nodded, having heard enough.  
  
"Go."  
  
Axton kicked down the door, his gun firing into the dark bar. The soldiers filed in after him, easily disarming and subduing everyone inside. When the all clear was given, Jack strolled into the bar like an avenging angel, his face hard as stone. "I don't like it when people touch my things, bandit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Better update time. WHOO!! Hope you enjoyed it, comments give me life!


	15. Chapter 15

Agony laced through Rhys like fire, his body still spasming from the stun baton. He barely even registered that his rescue party had arrived until warm, familiar hands cupped his face, lifting his head up. The gentleness of the action startled him, and he tried to pull away, convinced that Vallory had decided to switch tactics yet again.  
  
"What did I say about coming back in one piece, Rhysie?"  
  
If Rhys hadn't been suspended from the ceiling, he would have collapsed with relief at the sound of that voice. As it was, he felt his legs give out, his weight falling against Jack, who took it easily.  
  
"I tried." Rhys said, coughing, hearing the gentle _shtick_ of a knife unsheathing, feeling Jack start to saw through the rope holding him up. "I didn't do so great."  
  
"No shit." Jack said, slicing through the rope and growling at the sight of the raw, red, bleeding skin around Rhys' wrist.  
  
"I didn't...she wanted the access codes but I didn't...I never said anything, you have to believe me-" Rhys babbled, trying to meet Jack's eyes.  
  
"Shh, it's okay, Rhysie." Jack said, gently lowering Rhys' arm, wincing when Rhys whimpered in pain as feeling came rushing back into his fingers. "I heard everything."  
  
" _Everything_?"  
  
The horror in Rhys' voice only added to the rage bubbling inside Jack.  
  
"It's okay, Rhys. I got you." Jack murmured, raising his voice from that low croon to a sharp bark. "Eyes on the ground, bandits, or I'll tear them out."  
  
"Wow, Rhys, first August, now Handsome fucking Jack? You'll spread your legs for anyone who looks your way, won't you?"  
  
Rhys flinched, and he tried to get his legs back under him so he could get away, away from Vallory and her poisonous words, away from Jack who must be so disappointed with him...  
  
"Shut her up." Jack growled, pulling Rhys in tight and refusing to let him squirm away, his hand heavy on the back of Rhys' neck as he guided him to the nearest available seat.  
  
"With pleasure." Wilhelm growled, pulling Vallory's head to the side by a handful of hair and wrapping his fingers around her large hoop earring, ripping it out of the woman's earlobe. August struggled against the loader pinning him to the ground as his mother howled in agony, blood dripping down the side of her neck.  
  
"Now shut up or the other comes out too." Wilhelm said smugly.  
  
"Rhysie?" Jack asked, getting to his knees in front of Rhys. "Jesus, cupcake..." He breathed, framing his face with warm, surprisingly gentle hands. "Look at your _face_ , babe. We only _just_ got you patched up."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Not as sorry as _she's_ gonna be. Wilhelm, start making her match Rhysie."  
  
"What about pretty boy over here?" Wilhelm asked, nodding at August. Jack narrowed his eyes at the blond man, remembering the man's half-hearted attempts to defend Rhys.  
  
"Only if he struggles." Jack replied reluctantly, before focusing all of his attention on Rhys. "Rhysie, look at me, babe."  
  
Rhys shook his head, his face in Jack's coat. "No."  
  
_God_ , he was so pathetic and weak, how could Jack trust him with anything ever again, now that he knew how easy it was to break Rhys down to nothing. He might as well stay exactly where he was, in this hellish bar that was the scene for all his nightmares, and then he wouldn't have to see the disappointment on Jack's face.  
  
"Come on, kitten. For me?"

Fuck.  
  
Rhys reluctantly obeyed, lifting his head up but keeping his eyes closed. The hand on the back of his neck moved to cup his face again, mindful of the bruises, cuts and swelling, Jack's rough thumb caressing the skin under his left eye.  
  
"Come on babe, let me see you."  
  
Rhys opened his eyes slowly, meeting Jack's fierce, but surprisingly judgement-free gaze.  
  
"Goddamnit." Jack growled, his eyes hardening at the sight of Rhys' ECHOeye, dull and deactivated, the pupil slightly of center. "Pull out the other earring, Wilhelm."  
  
Rhys flinched at Vallory's shout, but his eyes stayed locked with Jack's.  
  
"You know you could have given them fake codes, kitten." Jack said quietly, so soft only Rhys could hear him. "You could have told them anything."  
  
"I would _never_ betray you." Rhys said. "Not for a moment."  
  
Jack smiled softly, wiping away some blood from Rhys' lip. "I know you wouldn't, sweetheart."  
  
"She knows where my sisters are." Rhys remembered, hissing as he moved to stand. "I've gotta...I've gotta find them, warn them-"  
  
"Take it easy, kitten." Jack said, pushing him back down as he fished in his pockets for a healing hypo. "You're in no condition to do any heroing right now. I'll take care of it."  
  
"They won't understand." Rhys insisted, his hand fisting in Jack's shirt as he tried to leverage himself onto his feet again. "They hate Hyperion, they won't...they won't _listen_ -"  
  
"Sit _down_ , Rhys." Jack snapped, his worry wearing his patience thin, even with Rhys. "I said I'd take care of it, and I will." Jack said, a bit more gently, prepping the needle of the healing hypo. "Hold still."  
  
Rhys hissed as Jack plunged the needle into his neck, a soft moan issuing from his mouth as the medicine quickly swept through his system, chasing away the pain. Healing kits always made him really relaxed and a little loopy, and this time was no different.  
  
He barely jumped when Jack suddenly wrapped his hand around Rhys' limp neck, forcing his head up. Rhys' eyes were half lidded and his pupils blown wide, and he licked his lips as he looked up at Jack. Jack swore under his breath, his hand tightening around Rhys' neck and pulling a whimper out of him.  
  
"I need you to put away the sex eyes and stay awake for a little while longer, cupcake." Jack said, gripping Rhys' chin tightly, his voice rough as sandpaper.  
  
"M'kay, Jack." Rhys said, fighting the wave of exhaustion that threatened to consume him.  
  
"How do you want them to die, sweetheart?" Jack asked, his voice kind but his face fierce. "How have you always wanted them to suffer?"  
  
"Huh?" Rhys asked, his brain too foggy to really understand.  
  
"Answer my question, Rhysie."  
  
"I...I don't know. I just wanted her gone."  
  
"Just her?"  
  
"Just her. August..." Rhys looked over his shoulder at august. "He's not so bad."  
  
"He didn't help you. That makes him guilty by association."  
  
"Hey, I'm the one who fucked with the jamming signal so you could find him!" August said, desperate. "I didn't even want to do this in the first place!"  
  
"You did what?" Vallory shrieked. "You ungrateful, stupid-"  
  
"Rhysie?"  
  
"Please Rhys." August begged. "For old times’ sake?"  
  
"...Let him go, Jack." Rhys said at last.  
  
"But, Rhysie-"  
  
"He tried to help me as best he could. He tried to help Sasha and Fiona." Rhys insisted. Jack sighed at last, gesturing to the assorted guards to stand down.  
  
"You heard the man. Get lost." Jack growled after a moment, snapping his fingers. The Loaderbot pinning August immediately released him.  
  
"August, what are you waiting for?" Vallory shrieked. "You better not be considering walking out of here-"  
  
"What...what are you going to do to her?" August asked hesitantly as he got to his feet.  
  
"Look, asshole, my mercy has a _very_ limited window of opportunity, and it is closing fast. Get out or die. Those are your options." Jacked snapped  
  
"Rhys..."  
  
August looked imploringly at Rhys, but it was too little, much too late.  
  
"Leave, and don't look back, August." Rhys said, not meeting August’s eyes. "She made her bed, now she has to lie in it."  
  
"August!" Vallory shouted, her voice just a little bit desperate.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ma." August said at last, before running out the door as fast as his legs could carry him.  
  
"August! _AUGUST_!" Vallory cried. When August didn't turn back, she turned her ire on Rhys. "You miserable, cocksucking, skagshit RAT-  
  
Jack left Rhys leaning back in his chair, walking over to Vallory, who was wheezing and bleeding on the filthy floor, with confident purposeful steps. Kicking her back, Jack placed his foot on Vallory's throat, leaning forward and increasing the pressure there until Vallory choked, her eyes bugging out slightly.  
  
"Take a look around you, bandit. Look at the army I have at my command. I've got Loaders, I've got assassins, I've got fucking _Vault_ _Hunters_ ready to go when I snap my fucking fingers."  
  
His voice dropped into a low, predatory growl as something dark and possessive flashed across his face.  
  
"And if you even _think_ about coming after Rhys again, I will bring all of this down on your fucking head."  
  
"Jack." Rhys coughed, trying to get his attention. Jack didn't seem to be able to hear him, a sinister smile curling his lips as he slowly suffocated Vallory with his shoe.  
  
"JACK!" Rhys shouted. Jack looked up, his eyes wild and savage.  
  
"Can we go now? Please?" Rhys begged, thinking of August, and how the guilt of letting the woman who had taken him in all those years ago die in front of him...it would eat at him, the same way Felix's did.  
  
Rhys was tired of the dead hanging over his head every time he closed his eyes. Revenge got you nowhere, in the long run.  
  
"Did she ever stop when you asked her to, Rhys?" Jack asked quietly, not letting up on Vallory at all.  
  
"No. But you will. That's why you're better." Rhys said, meaning every word. "Don't kill her. Please."  
  
"But-"  
  
" _Please_."  
  
Jack stared at him a moment longer, then lifted his foot, allowing Vallory to inhale great gasps of air.  
  
"You're lucky Rhys decided to be merciful today, bandit." Jack growled. "Were it up to me, you'd be nothing more than a stain on this floor." Jack walked over to Rhys, lifting him bodily out of the chair with an arm around his waist, fitting neatly into the unprotected space where his cybernetic limb should have been. "Let's get you home, Rhysie."  
  
"Fine. Run back up to your fucking space station. But don't forget who you're leaving behind."  
  
Rhys froze, forcing Jack to stop as well.  
  
"Maybe I'll pay Fiona and Sasha a visit when you're gone, huh?"  
  
_No_.  
  
Fuck the guilt. Fuck the life lesson he had tried to learn. Nobody touched his sisters.  
  
Rhys reached around Jack, grasping the handle of his gun in his hand, whirling around in Jack's arms, and firing a single bullet, aiming for Vallory's head, but missing, the bullet cutting deeply into her neck.  
  
"I was willing to let you live. You should have kept your mouth shut, bitch." Rhys hissed, while Vallory's body crumpled, blood gushing from her neck as she screamed, fighting her restraints. Jack had a moment to see the look of vicious satisfaction on the cybernetic man's face before the gun slipped from his fingers and he pitched forward, unconscious. The only thing that prevented him from bashing his brains out on the floor was Jack's quick reflexes as the CEO caught him.  
  
"Always gotta be dramatic, don't you, babe? Jack said fondly, lifting Rhys up into his arms and carrying him out of the bar and to the convoy, Axton and Wilhelm trailing right behind him. “Reminds me of me.”

Feeling the tight uneasy feeling in his chest dissipate slightly as he did so, Jack arranged Rhys against the seat so he was sitting up, propped against the wall. As Axton and Wilhelm entered the vehicle too, Jack paused, staring contemplatively at the bar.  
  
"Jack? What's wrong?" Axton asked.  
  
"Yeah. No, no." Jack said, pulling a gun off of the back of the ATV. "It's not enough. I'm not satisfied."  
  
"What the hell are you do-"  
  
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Jack roared, pulling the trigger on the flamethrower, laughing maniacally as he set the foundation of The Purple Skag on fire. "BURN IN HELL, MOTHERFUCKER!"  
  
" _Jesus_..." Axton muttered, turning away from the sight, wishing he could stop listening to Vallory's increasingly desperate screams of pain and fear.  
  
"Okay, I'm better now." Jack said, frighteningly cheerful as he hopped into the vehicle, pulling Rhys back against his own chest, his fingers ruffling the man's hair fondly. "We can go now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little shorter than usual, but trust me when I say you're all gonna LOVE what happens next. ;) Comments are loved by me for all of time!


	16. Chapter 16

Jack sighed, staring out the window of the shuttle as it rocketed down the road to the launch pad, his fingers soft on Rhys' scalp as they combed through the unconscious man’s hair.  
  
He _may_ have overreacted, he mused. Now that Rhys was safe, where Jack could see that he was safe, he realized that the level of panic he had displayed was probably more than was warranted for a typical relationship between an assistant and his boss.  
  
But then again, they had never really been just assistant and boss before.  
  
As the shuttle began to shake, about to leave Pandora’s atmosphere, Jack held tighter onto Rhys, stabilizing his head and making sure he didn't fall over in the turbulence.  
  
Part of him was screaming at him, telling him he was in too deep, that he needed to pull back. Nothing good could come of this relationship, or so Jack's past experiences told him. Did he not remember what happened with Nisha? With Moxxi? With _her_?  
  
The other part, quiet but insistent, all but begged him to give this thing between him and Rhys a chance. Didn't he deserve it, after all he's done to clean up the universe? Didn't the hero get a happy ending when all was said and done?  
  
And the scary part was, Jack was starting to listen to the quiet half more and more.  
  
At a particularly violent shake, Rhys awoke, groaning softly, his eyes fluttering open. "Where am I?"  
  
"Shh, kitten, we're leaving Pandora’s atmosphere now. We're almost home, go back to sleep."  
  
"Wait!" Rhys said, bolting upright and yelping in pain. "Vallory! I didn't kill her, she knows where my sisters are-"  
  
"Relax, babe." Jack said. "I took care of it. That bitch won't be going anywhere near your sisters ever again."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Don't you trust me, babe?" Jack asked, his voice sharp.  
  
"Of course, but..."  
  
"Then trust me. If I say someone won't be an issue any more, you better believe I know that."  
  
"...yeah. Yeah, okay. Thank you, Jack." Rhys said at last, the tension bleeding out of his shoulders.  
  
"It's no problem, sweetheart."  
  
"She had some connection to whoever's trying to take Angel." Rhys remembered. "Someone's trying to get Helios' access codes."  
  
"I heard." Jack growled, already planning to call in a favor once they got back. "But tell me something, Rhysie."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You _knew_ that bitch was looking for you. You _knew_ you'd be putting yourself in jeopardy by going down to that shithole planet."  
  
"…Yeah." Rhys admitted, not meeting Jack’s eyes.  
  
"So why the hell didn't you _say_ something?" Jack asked, incensed.  
  
"Would it have mattered? You needed me. _Angel_ needed me. What else was I supposed to do?" Rhys asked, as if that were the most obvious answer in the world.  
  
"I could have done something. I could have..."  
  
Guilt. That's what the horrible feeling in Jack's stomach was. It was guilt that he had forced Rhys into doing this job for him, just because Jack couldn't trust anyone with his baby, nor did he have it in him to go himself.  
  
"Jack. It's okay." Rhys assured him.  
  
"No it's _not_. I shouldn't have sent you there. I...if I had known, I wouldn't have."  
  
And the strange thing was, Jack really meant that.  
  
"I'm alright. I'll heal, and we'll find whoever's after Angel." Rhys said confidently, with that calculating, ruthless look in his eyes that made Jack's blood run hot and fast. "Once we get back to Helios, I can start compiling a list of possible leads, and-"  
  
"The only place you're going when we land is to medical." Jack interrupted quickly.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Don't argue with me Rhysie." Jack growled. "You're getting checked out, and then you're going home, and you're not coming in to work for at least a few days."  
  
"What? No!"  
  
"Kid, you got blown up, tortured, electrocuted, and you got shot less than a week ago. You're taking some time off."  
  
"I have to help you find who's after Angel."  
  
"I have people for that, Rhysie, and I have you for other things.”  
  
"But I want to help! I _have_ to help! If something happens to her, I would never forgive myself." And great, now Rhys was doing that thing where his eyes grew two sizes and made Jack feel like such an ass for not letting him have his way. "Don't do this to me. Let me help."  
  
"Kid, you should be taking it easy-"  
  
"I don't want to take it easy, and I won't be able to anyway!" Rhys insisted, and damn, was his lip quivering now? This kid was a _pro_. "Jack please. Please."  
  
"God damnit, Rhysie." He must be gone for this kid if he keeps letting him manipulate him like this. "Fine. Compromise?"  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
"You get checked out by medical, and _if_ they decide you're well enough not to be hospitalized, you can stay at the penthouse and work so I can keep an eye on you. Do we have a deal?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I also might need you to talk to Angel. She's been flipping out about you."  
  
"She...she has?"  
  
"Yeah. She cares about you."  
  
_'Maybe we both do.'_

* * *

  
Due to the healing hypo Jack had administered earlier, the only thing the doctors had to do was re-stitch the gunshot wound in Rhys' side. That partnered with some excellent pain medication and a warning to take it easy, and Rhys was free to go.  
  
"Told you I was fine." Rhys couldn't help but say to Jack as they headed to the elevators.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, shut up. Not my fault you bruise like a peach. It looked a hellova lot worse."  
  
"Welcome back, Rhys." Felicity said as the elevator doors opened onto the penthouse level. "You have been missed."  
  
"Thanks Felicity."  
  
"Felicity, unseal the penthouse, override handsome-j-sixty-nine." Jack ordered, and there was a hiss of air as the door began to open.  
  
"Gaige! Maya! The door is opening!" Angel's voice cried. "They're home! They're _here_!"  
  
"You didn't tell her about the torture, did you?" Rhys asked quietly.  
  
"No, and neither will you. Keep it under wraps, kiddo." Jack warned, to which Rhys replied with the most withering look Jack had ever been on the receiving end of in his life.  
  
"Rhys!" Angel cried, both concerned and relieved at the same time, darting through the door at the earliest opportunity and tackling Rhys around the knees.  
  
"Angel." He replied, trying and failing to contain his grunt of pain. At the sound, Angel immediately released him, looking stricken. "What're you doing up at this hour?"  
  
"Making sure you're okay, obviously." Angel said, carefully hugging Rhys around his knees once more. "What happened to you?"  
  
"Ran into trouble." He said vaguely, after sharing a glance with Jack. "Trouble didn't like it."  
  
Maya and Gaige joined them outside. "Saved the day?" Maya asked curtly. Jack nodded. "Good. See you later, munchkin." Maya said, ruffling Angel's hair. "Let's go, Gaige, and let them all settle in. Call us if you need anything, Jack."  
  
"Will do."  
  
"Come inside, Rhys, daddy and I are gonna take good care of you." Angel insisted, holding Rhys' hand gingerly, noticing the rough mark around his wrist. "What happened to your arm?"  
  
"I lost it." Rhys said, now acutely aware of the empty space at his side, and feeling all those old insecurities bubbling up once more.  
  
"I meant this one." Angel said, indicating his flesh arm. "But that's okay too. Daddy will build you a new one, if you want." She said, patting the back of Rhys' hand comfortingly. "Won't you, daddy?"  
  
"You bet, sweetheart." Jack said, a warm smile stretching his face as he watched Angel guide Rhys to the sofa, sitting him down and fussing over him. "What kind of arm should we give him, baby?"  
  
"You really don't-"  
  
"You should give him a brand new arm, daddy!" Angel said, ignoring Rhys' feeble protests. "Something off the new line, with all the gadgets and attachments and stuff!"  
  
"Or, we could design him something _special_ , for being such a hero. What do you think, baby? Can you help me design something for Rhysie here?"  
  
" _Really_? Can I?" Angel said, and she looked so excited and pleased that Rhys felt all his protests die in his throat. "I promise I'll design the best arm ever built!"  
  
"Then that's exactly what we'll do, baby." Jack agreed. "He needs a new eye, too. What color should we get him?"  
  
"What's your favorite color, Rhys?" Angel asked, her face so serious, as if the fate of the world hung on Rhys' answer to this innocuous question.  
  
Rhys could hardly speak through the feeling of belonging, of being cared for and fussed over and protected. It was something he hadn't really felt in years, and not something he'd thought he'd find on Helios, least of all with Handsome Jack and his daughter.  
  
But it was something he could very easily get used to.  
  
"...Yellow." He said at last, his heart threatening to burst with emotion. "My favorite color is yellow."  
  
"Sweetheart, it's time for you to go to bed." Jack said, watching his daughter fight her own exhaustion to no avail.  
  
"No!" Angel cried, her previously drooping eyes now wide and her bottom lip quivering. "Let's have a sleepover! We can all sleep right here, and we can make sure Rhys is okay and we can _protect_ him and..."  
  
"Hey." Rhys said, noticing the tense line of her shoulders, the tremor in her voice, and the wetness gathering in her eyes. "What's wrong, honey?"  
  
"I just..." She sniffled slightly, rubbing at her eyes. "I just want to make sure you're okay. You keep getting hurt and I'm scared you'll...you'll go away. Like mommy."  
  
"Angel..."  
  
"I don't want you to go away." She whimpered, hugging Rhys tightly, her face hidden in his chest. "I love you."  
  
Rhys looked up at Jack, gauging his reaction. The CEO looked floored, and possibly a little bit awed. "I love you too, sweetie." He said at last, making his decision. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."  
  
This was where he belonged, and no one was going to take him away from it again.

* * *

  
"I think she's finally asleep." Rhys whispered lowly, his hand still gently smoothing over Angel's hair as she snored on his chest, Butt Stallion squished flat between them.  
  
"About time." Jack muttered, gingerly lifting her into his arms. "Get her door for me, would ya?"  
  
Rhys nodded, pushing himself off the sofa and wincing as his spine popped, walking ahead of Jack and carrying Butt Stallion under his arm. Awkwardly opening the door with his arm held tight to his body, keeping the toy from falling, he let Jack pass, and watched with a soft smile as the CEO gently put his daughter to bed, tossing him the stuffed animal when Jack held out his hand.  
  
"Goodnight, baby girl." Jack murmured, kissing her forehead. "See you in the morning."  
  
Mmni, d'dy." Angel mumbled in reply, too deeply asleep to protest.  
  
Rhys grinned, stifling a laugh as he watched Jack do the same.  
  
"Well, kitten," Jack said as he closed Angel's door behind them. "You still want to get work done, or are those meds doing their job?"  
  
Rhys had to admit, he _was_ exhausted. "Don't think I can work, but I'm not sure I could make it back to my own bed either."  
  
"We have a guest room. Stay the night." Jack said, leading Rhys down the hall to a tastefully decorated room at the end. It had that look of a room that was well kept, but hardly lived in.  
  
"Are you sure?" Rhys asked. Jack shrugged, and Rhys could see how hard Jack was trying to seem casual.  
  
"Yeah. It's no trouble." Jack said, turning away, his movements jerky as if he was forcing himself away. "See ya in the morning, Rhysie."  
  
"Wait."  
  
Jack paused at the door, leaving Rhys to frantically search his brain for a reason for him to stay, to give himself one more chance to make Jack see how good they could be, together. His eyes fell on the device still clinging to his vest, and he grinned to himself.  
  
"Before you go..." Rhys said, palming Jack's pocketwatch, unhooking it from his chest and offering it to Jack. "I should probably give this back to you."  
  
Jack looked at Rhys and the pocket watch, then sighed harshly.  
  
"Keep it."  
  
"But-" Rhys hadn't expected that. "I can't take this, Jack-" Rhys started to say, but Jack stopped him, closing Rhys' fingers back around the watch.  
  
"I only want this back if it comes with your word that you won't ever be in danger again. Do I have your word, Rhys?"  
  
And as Rhys looked into Jack's mismatched eyes, he saw all the things Jack wasn't saying; how Jack wanted him safe, trusted him at his word. He had put Angel's _life_ in Rhys' hands. That alone said volumes about what Jack was feeling.  
  
"I can't promise that." Rhys said at last. If there was a chance he could save them, he’d do it in an instant, no matter the situation.  
  
"Then you're keeping it."  
  
"Thank you, Jack." Rhys said at last, taking the watch back, letting the tips of his fingers brush against Jack's as he did so. Their eyes met once, and Rhys watched with baited breath as something hot and dark flashed across Jack's face.  
  
"You know what? Fuck it." Jack growled, fisting his hands into Rhys' shirt and dragging him close, catching his mouth in a rough kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I suck. D,: We are over the river and through the woods on my writer's block, though, so the next update should be much quicker.


	17. Chapter 17

Rhys made a squeak of surprise that was completely swallowed by Jack's mouth. After a few moments, Jack broke the kiss, pressing his forehead against Rhys' as he tried to catch his breath.  
  
" _Fuck_. I shouldn't have done that." He muttered, even as his mouth traveled down to Rhys' neck, interspersing quick bites in between uncharacteristically soft kisses. "I was supposed to keep this professional. You're too important to screw around with."  
  
Rhys took a shuddering breath, lightning passing up and down his spine at each touch of Jack's teeth. Jack was probably right, they had a good relationship, a good work ethic. They really shouldn't muddy that up with sex-  
  
A sharp bite to his ear made him moan helplessly.  
  
Screw being a martyr. Isn't this everything Rhys ever wanted? He'd be an _idiot_ to pass this up.  
  
"I...I don't want professional." Rhys confessed, making Jack look up at him, his eyes wide and dilated. "I want _you_."  
  
"God damnit, Rhysie." Jack growled, pulling Rhys into another kiss.  
  
This time, Rhys melted into the CEO, his flesh hand wrapping around Jack's neck, using his hold to leverage himself against Jack as he licked across the seam of his lips, feeling for the barely perceptible line where mask met flesh.  
  
"Fuck." Jack panted against Rhys' mouth as he dragged him closer, his hands groping down Rhys' back before landing on his ass. "You drive me absolutely insane, kiddo."  
  
"You should talk, handsome." Rhys murmured back, sucking softly at Jack's lower lip. "Anyone tell you hero is a very good look on you?"  
  
"Ngh." Jack groaned, pressing Rhys into the nearest wall, his hips grinding harshly into the other man's. "I thought you were gonna die down on that craphole planet before I could get to you."  
  
"Not dead." Rhys gasped, his head thrown back while Jack's hands dropped to Rhys' belt, dragging him close as he jingled it open, sliding it off his waist and dropping it to the floor.  
  
"Not for lack of trying, you stupid noble bastard." Jack growled, nipping at Rhys' neck, making him gasp. "Don't you ever do that to me again, babe."  
  
"I'll do my best." Rhys said, grunting as Jack pushed him harder against the wall, his hands dragging over Rhys' sides, rucking up his shirt in the process. "Thanks for the backup, by the way. Your timing is just...mm...impeccable."  
  
" _Shit_ , Rhysie." Jack snarled, biting down on the juncture between Rhys' neck and shoulder, pulling a loud surprised moan from the lanky man. "You're gonna be the fucking death of me, kitten."  
  
"Never." Rhys murmured, running his hand up through Jack's hair as he sucked on his earlobe. "Now are we gonna keep talking or are you gonna fuck me?"  
  
"God, you're a mouthy lay, aren't you, babe?" Jack said, a slow smile spreading across his face. Rhys gasped as Jack pushed a thick, hard thigh between his legs, pressing up against his rapidly filling cock. "Mm, kitten, by the time I'm through with you, you won't remember your goddamned _name_."  
  
"Looking forward to it, handsome." Rhys said with a shaky smirk, and while the rising flush on his face was a sight to see, Jack was clearly doing something wrong if Rhys was still able to say things other than, "Jack" and "please" and " _more_ ".  
  
Jack huffed, getting a firmer grip on Rhys' ass and lifting him into the air, grinning when Rhys yelped in surprise, his legs wrapping tightly around Jack's waist.  
  
"I ever tell you how hot that smartass mouth of yours is, babe?" Jack purred into Rhys' ear, biting another blazing trail down his neck, paying special attention to the area covered by black ink. "Most of the idiots here can't stop stuttering when they talk to me. But you've always been full of sass, haven't you, Rhysie? Drives me absolutely crazy."  
  
"I...mm." Rhys moaned, arching when Jack set his teeth into a particularly sensitive patch of skin, carrying him towards the bed. "Jack..."  
  
"Not so snarky now, though, are ya?" Jack smirked, loving the way his name sounded when Rhys gasped it. "I believed I asked you a question, kitten."  
  
"I...ngh." Rhys moaned again, bucking in Jack's arms. "You have too many clothes on."  
  
"Not exactly an answer to my question, but I'll take it." Jack said with a wicked grin, dropping Rhys onto the edge of the bed, pulling off his many layers as quickly as possible, stopping at his boxers to help Rhys strip down to his own underwear.  
  
Jack stilled suddenly, his eyes going to Rhys' scarred, empty shoulder, the port wrecked and internal wiring frayed. It took a moment for Rhys to notice where Jack was looking, and when he did, his stomach dropped.  
  
"Jack?" He said, feeling that awful inadequate feeling from his childhood hit him like a bullet train. He hadn't thought his lack of limb would matter to Jack, but then again, he never expected to lose his arm all over again. "We don't...it's okay if you're uncomfortable. I..." He swallowed, turning his face away from Jack, not wanting to see the relief on his face when he realized he had an out. "I wouldn't judge you if you...changed your mind."  
  
"What?" Jack snapped, pulled out of his own thoughts abruptly, his eyes sharp as he searched Rhys' face. "Why would I be uncomfortable?"  
  
"I know it's not...pretty." Rhys said, his throat tight and his eyes prickling dangerously. "I wouldn't be surprised if you...didn’t want me anymore. Wouldn't be the first time it happened-"  
  
The words were barely out of Rhys' mouth before Jack was pushing Rhys into the bed, his mouth hot and wet and _fantastic_ against Rhys'. Jack kissed like he had something to prove, like he wanted to permanently etch his mark on the inside of Rhys' mouth, like this was a battle he had no intention of losing. He bit, and sucked, and licked across Rhys' lips, leaving the cybernetic man breathless and reeling in his wake.  
  
Rhys moaned into the kiss, his hand coming up to tangle in Jack's thick hair, angling his head to better fit their lips together. Jack growled in response, his arms wrapping around Rhys as the younger man arched into him. Rhys' legs spread unconsciously at the sound, allowing the CEO to press into the space created, grinding their hips together. Rhys whimpered, writhing against Jack, finally breaking the kiss with a gasp.  
  
"Don’t ever think that, Rhysie. You’re more than your scars.” Jack whispered, and his voice was so resolute that there had to be more that Jack wasn’t saying, but a quick swipe of Jack’s tongue across Rhys’ Adam’s apple derailed that thought. “You really think I care about that when I have _you_ in my bed?" Jack asked, and fuck if that deep dark growl of pure want didn't set Rhys' blood on fire. "God, Rhysie, have you _seen_ you? Fucking _perfect_ , babe. All long legs and viciousness."  
  
"But-"  
  
"I was just thinking about the new arm I'm gonna give you." He said, and oh, his free hand was tracing the sensitive scars, and Rhys whimpered softly. "Maybe something in silver? All shiny chrome and power, _perfect_ for you. How does that sound, babe?" The hand on Rhys' chin moved up, tracing the skin under Rhys' deactivated eye. "A silver hand and a gold eye. I'll wipe away everything that Pandora did to you and give you something better. Give you everything you could ever want or need."  
  
"Jack..."  
  
"We're gonna be so good together, babe. You and me against the universe. _Nothing_ could stand in our way."  
  
"God, Jack, yes, I want that." Rhys breathed, his hand fisting in the sheets as he arched into his hands once more. "God, I...OW!" Rhys yelped, as pain shot up his side, and Jack let go immediately, reeling back as if burned.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, it's nothing." Rhys insisted, trying to pull Jack into another kiss. But the action had him wincing, and then Jack was moving away and everything was _awful_.  
  
"It's your ribs, isn't it?" Jack asked, running a careful hand down the side of Rhys' chest, the warmth of his hands making the pain abate just a bit, until he pressed two hard fingers against the deepest bruise. Rhys yelped as if burned, twisting away from Jack's hands.  
  
"Sharp pain or throbbing pain?" Jack asked lowly, rubbing over the spot in apology, his hands light once more.  
  
"Uh...?"  
  
"Was it a sharp pain or a throbbing pain?" Jack repeated, and his hands felt so, so good now, it was hard to think.  
  
"Sharp then, throbbing now."  
  
"Damnit, you probably got a cracked rib there. It might even be broken. You probably didn't feel it cause the hypo had you jacked up on pain relievers." He sighed, rolling off Rhys and running his hand over his face and though his hair. "I knew there was no way you got out of there with only cosmetic damage. Idiot doctors, gonna toss them out the freaking airlock..." He grumbled, reaching for his own clothes. "My healing kits aren't gonna fix damage that bad. I'll take you back to medical in the morning."  
  
"I'm really okay, don't stop, please." Rhys pleaded, but Jack resisted his attempts to pull him back. "No, Jack, please, I'll be fine-"  
  
"I'm not going to fuck you when there's a chance I'll really hurt you if we get careless." Jack snapped, pulling his sweater over his head. "I'm not that kind of asshole."  
  
"I know that, but..."  
  
"Shut up, Rhys." Jack sighed, sounding much more disappointed than Rhys was expecting. "I'll see you in the morning, pumpkin."  
  
"Wait!" Rhys rolled onto his knees, wincing as the movement jostled his now aching ribs. "You could...stay? Just...here, with me." He wrapped his arm around Jack’s torso, pressing his forehead to the back of Jack's neck. "Please. Stay."  
  
"Alright." Jack said at last, his hands covering Rhys'. "Alright, Rhysie. I'll stay."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Jack pulled his sweater off once more, and joined Rhys back on the bed, turning on his side to look over at Rhys, who did the same after a moment.  
  
"What is it?" Rhys asked, not recognizing the look on Jack's face.  
  
Jack paused before answering, his hand gentle as he reached out to Rhys, his fingers ghosting over where a vivid bruise formed on Rhys' chest that even the healing hypo hadn't been able to completely fix. "You're okay, right, Rhysie?"  
  
"I'm better than okay." Rhys assured Jack, placing his hand over Jack's. "My sisters are finally safe from her. I'm finally safe from her."  
  
"And you'll stay safe, if I have anything to say about it." Jack grumbled, pulling him closer and mouthing his way up and down Rhys' neck. "Nobody gets to hurt you, Rhysie. Not on my watch."  
  
Rhys let Jack smooth his hands over the patchwork of bruises marring Rhys' skin, his face contorted with a kind of angry guilt Rhys had never seen before. Rhys cupped his hand around Jack's sharp chin, drawing his gaze back up to Rhys' face.  
  
"I'm alright. Really."  
  
"I'm sorry." Jack whispered, just as quietly. "I should have protected you better. This never should have happened."  
  
"It's okay."  
  
"I won't let anyone hurt you again, Rhysie." Jack murmured, brushing his lips against Rhys' palm. "I promise you that."

* * *

  
Rhys woke up alone, with Jack's side of the bed long gone cold but with a fantastically mouthwatering smell permeating the air.  
  
Groaning, Rhys sat up, now all too aware of the abuse his body had been subjected to and feeling every bruise acutely. Gingerly rolling out of bed, he groped around for something to cover his chest, now a less than attractive mosaic of blue-black, red-purple bruises, finally coming up with Jack's soft, well-worn sweater, the outdated Hyperion logo hanging onto the fabric by sheer stubbornness.  
  
Putting it on, he hobbled his way into the kitchen, pausing in the doorway at the incongruous sight in front of him.  
  
Angel sat at the island counter, a mess of papers, blueprints, and several ECHOdevices scattered across the surface. Jack, meanwhile, was over by the stove, pouring thick viscous batter into a frying pan, a stack of pancakes piling up next to him.  
  
"Daddy, what do you think of this?" Angel asked, holding up a sketch for her father's perusal. Jack turned around, analyzing the picture carefully.  
  
"Looks good, baby, but how 'bout you make it silver? I think he'll like silver." Jack spotted Rhys hovering in the doorway.  
  
"Hey, kiddo." Jack said, tossing a grin over his shoulder as he went back to flipping a pancake. "Damn you look good in that, babe. How'd you sleep?"  
  
"Are you...cooking?" Rhys asked, incredulous.  
  
"Why yes. Yes, I am." Jack said rolling his eyes. "I'd worry you were brain damaged from your trip, but I'll hold out final judgement until you get some coffee. Angel, pour the man a cup of joe, would ya?"  
  
"Sure, daddy." Angel said, hopping down from the counter and walking over to a monstrous coffee machine so complicated that Rhys had mistakenly thought was some kind of security device.  
  
"You guys normally make breakfast on the weekends?" Rhys asked awkwardly.  
  
"Sometimes. When daddy has guests." Angel said, bringing the steaming cup of coffee to Rhys and leading him by the hand to the island counter. "Sit. Breakfast is almost ready."  
  
"Can I...help? At all?" Rhys asked, feeling a little bit out of place.  
  
"Nope." Jack said, flashing another smile over his shoulder. "Just sit there and look pretty, pumpkin."  
  
"How do you feel, Rhys?" Angel asked, taking her seat next to Rhys.  
  
"Better, honey." Rhys told her, looking over her shoulder. "Whatcha working on? More Gortys stuff?"  
  
"No, silly, I'm working on your arm!"  
  
Rhys looked up at Jack, who was watching the two of them out of the corner of his eyes.  
  
"She's been up since six sketching and planning and bothering Gaige with questions." Jack mention idly, fixing up three plates of fluffy pancakes and crispy bacon. "Can we put that away and have breakfast, baby girl?"  
  
"But-" Angel began, but a growl from  Rhys' stomach had her sighing and gathering all her papers. "Yeah, okay. Gimme a second."  
  
"That'a girl." Jack praised, placing a plate in front of Rhys. "You really feeling better, kiddo?" He asked Rhys quietly.  
  
"I am." Rhys assured him. Jack smiled, leaning closer to Rhys, tilting his head up and brushing a syrupy sweet kiss across his lips.

"Delicious." Jack murmured under his breath. Rhys smiled.  
  
"Yeah." He breathed, popping a forkful of pancake into his mouth. "Pancakes aren't bad either." He said once he swallowed.  
  
"Well played, Rhysie." Jack chuckled, pulling him into another kiss.  
  
"Daddy, Rhys needs his mouth to _eat_." Angel chastised. Rhys snickered at the affronted look on Jack's face.  
  
"What about what daddy needs?"  
  
"Rhys needs to eat first daddy, then you guys can be all smoochy and _gross_."  
  
" _You're_ gross." Jack retorted childishly, sticking his tongue out at his daughter. "What is it with you and feeding Rhys, anyway? You're always asking me if he ate and stuff."  
  
"He's too skinny!" Angel said, waving her arm in Rhys' direction. "It drives me crazy!"  
  
Rhys had never seen Jack laugh so hard in his life, and though Rhys didn't appreciate the fact that Jack was laughing at him, he did like the way that his face lit up, and he somehow looked ten years younger, even with the mask still in place.  
  
"Jack?" Felicity said, the AI struggling to be heard over Jack's laughter. "Your other guest has arrived.  
  
"Other guest?" Rhys repeated, as Jack's laughter began to die down a bit.  
  
"Get that for me, would you, babe?" Jack asked, wiping a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "I need a moment to catch my breath. And you two should get acquainted anyway."  
  
"Fine." Rhys grumbled, his cheeks still red as he went to open the door, blinking at the visitor with surprise.  
  
"Hel-lo." The stunning woman said, looking him up and down with a sultry smirk playing around her purple lips. "And Jack said he didn't get me anything for our _anniversary_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. I know.  
> Comments get you a statue erected in Opportunity!


	18. Chapter 18

"Can I help you?" Rhys said, feeling about ten inches tall under the woman's gaze. His echo eye scanned her automatically. Nisha Kadam, Sherriff of Lynchwood.  
  
"I'm sure you can, pretty boy, but it'll have to wait till after the grown-ups talk." She said, pushing her way past Rhys. "Babe, you told me you weren't into sharing. I spent so much time trying to set a threesome up with Timothy. I even got hammerlock's begrudging approval and everything-"  
  
"Seriously Nish, how many times do I have to tell you to call before you just show up?" Jack snapped through a mouthful of pancakes. "And keep it PG, will ya, there are young ears here."  
  
"Daddy, what's a threesome?"  
  
"SEE? This is what happens, every time you show up!" Jack whined, not looking at Angel. "I'd say I'll tell you later, sweetheart, but you are _never_ gonna be old enough for that."  
  
"Rhys?"  
  
"It's a grown up thing." He said vaguely, looking between Jack and Nisha, the words _threesome_ and _anniversary_ still ringing horribly in his head. It was...not possible. Not after last night. There was no way Jack had been leading him on... _right_?  
  
"Jack?"  
  
"Huh?" Jack said, looking at Rhys, whose eyes were hard.  
  
"Is there something you'd like to tell me?" He asked pointedly, his eyes flicking toward Nisha. Jack looked at Nisha confused, before realization dawned followed closely by something resembling horror.  
  
"Wait, no, no, kitten it's not-"  
  
"Kitten?" Nisha repeated, sounding amused. "So you're the new pet, pretty boy? I think he's more of a puppy, though, Jack. Does he do tricks?"  
  
Well, if that wasn't an answer, Rhys didn't know what was.  
  
"Nisha, oh my god, shut the hell up." Jack hissed. "Okay, look. This...this looks bad, but-"  
  
"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it." Rhys said, having heard enough. He should have known it was all too good to be true. "Excuse me for a moment, would you?"

* * *

  
Jack followed Rhys out of the room, leaving Nisha and Angel alone in the kitchen.  
  
"Huh." Nisha said, wondering what the hell Tim had been thinking when he ECHOed her saying she should check in with Jack. She had just thought Tim had meant Jack was getting too irritating to deal with anymore and could use a lay.  
  
Apparently, this was not the case.  
  
Whatever. She wasn't Jack's girlfriend anymore, and his personal problems were no longer her mess to clean up. She moved behind Angel, peering over her shoulder at her sketches. "Whatcha doing there, munchkin?"  
  
"Hi, Auntie Nisha." Angel said, furiously erasing a section of her sketch. "Rhys lost his arm, and he needs me to make him a new one."  
  
"Rhys, huh? Weird name."  
  
But since when did Jack start introducing random flings to Angel, though? It had taken three months of dating before Jack had even told her about angel's existence, let alone introduced them. Well, that might have had something to do with Nisha's trigger happy fingers and complicated childhood, but Jack was no better than her in that department.  
  
"Your dad must really like Rhys, if he let him stay over, huh?"  
  
"Yeah." Angel said, focused on her work.  
  
Well, that was good. Really. She was happy for him. She hadn't heard from him in a while, no booty calls, no missions, not even a echo. She was starting to get worried about him, and how closed off he had gotten after they had hooked up the last time, so maybe this Rhys was good for him.  
  
"So how'd Rhys lose his arm?" Nisha asked, sitting in the place Jack had vacated and helping herself to his breakfast.  
  
"I don't know how he lost his real arm, but he lost his old cybernetic one on a super-secret mission. That's why he's all beat up."  
  
"I see." Nisha said, chewing on that information. What the fuck was going on lately? ‘Super-secret missions’ were usually her area of expertise, even after the break up. What was going on in Jack's head?  
  
"I really like him." Angel said, finally looking up at Nisha. "He makes daddy happy. He's not so...sad." Her eyes flashed with something that made her look so much like her father that Nisha’s breath caught in her chest. "He belongs here with us."  
  
"Huh."

* * *

  
"Look, kitten, Nisha’s not what you...what are you doing?" Jack asked, watching Rhys wince as he bent to pick up his clothing from the floor, slipping his pants on with some difficulty and pulling Jack's sweater over his head.  
  
"Getting out of your hair." Rhys said, and he was trying _really_ _hard_ to seem unaffected by this but he had a feeling it wasn't working.  
  
"Look, Rhys-"  
  
"Jack, it's fine." Rhys said, and God damnit, he would hold it together until he was alone or so help him he would airlock himself. "I get it. Last night was..." God this was torture, worse than anything Vallory could have done to him. "It was a mistake. You were right, we shouldn't to try to mix professional and personal like this." He forced his face into a pleasant smile. "So thanks for breakfast, sir, but I think it's time I made my exit."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I wouldn't want to intrude, and I'm sure you have...important matters to discuss with Miss Kadam." Rhys said, trying not to spit out Nisha’s name even as it left a poisonous taste in his mouth.  
  
Feelings were not Handsome Jack's strong suit, in his opinion. Mainly because they were stupid and confusing and Jack hated them.  
  
But he hated the forced smile on Rhys' face and the hopeless look in his eyes even more.  
  
"Kiddo, could you stop for a second and _listen_ -"  
  
"Why? I'm doing you a favor. Now you get to keep your assistant and your girlfriend, which is what you want, right?"  
  
"She's not...I want _you_ , kitten."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, Jack." Rhys said, jerking out of Jack's grip. "I'm not gonna be a bit on the side, not even for you."

* * *

  
Jack couldn't move for a few moments, trying to figure out what emotion he was even _feeling_ , God, he wanted to shout and throw things and beg Rhys to fucking _listen_ to him, don't go, don't _leave_ -  
  
But that gave Rhys the perfect opportunity to walk away, refusing to look back as he walked towards the door, pausing for only a second to say his goodbyes to the two in the kitchen.  
  
"It was lovely to meet you, Miss Kadam. I'll see you on Monday, Angel."  
  
"But you can't go! You barely ate!" Angel said. Rhys smiled at her, trying to keep the betrayal off of his face for a little while longer.  
  
"Guess I lost my appetite, honey." He said, moving towards the door. "Felicity, door?"  
  
Nisha waited for Jack to do something, _anything_ , but the idiot just stood there with that shell-shocked, sad look on his face and let Rhys _leave_.  
  
What the _hell_.  
  
"Felicity, hold the elevator, would you, babe?" Nisha asked, getting to her feet. "Angel, would you excuse me for a moment? I need to save your dad before he ruins _everything_."  
  
"Sure, Auntie." Angel said, confident in Nisha’s abilities and already dialing an echo to Gaige with another question.  
  
"Nish-" Jack started to say.  
  
"Relax, babe, I'm gonna fix your fuck up, like I always do." Nisha said, patting his cheek patronizingly. "Start brainstorming how you're gonna thank me, because apparently, orgasms are no longer on the menu."

* * *

"Come on, come on, come on..." Rhys muttered, repeatedly pressing the elevator call button. He just wanted to crawl into his bed, take his painkillers, and try to forget everything about last night. Every single glorious, unrepeatable second of it.  
  
"Listen, Rhys, was it?"  
  
And now he had to talk to her again.  
  
"Miss Kadam, I-"  
  
"First, stop with the ma’am’s and the Miss Kadam’s. Name's Nisha for people I'm not actively killing."  
  
"Yeah, I don't normally call my boss's _girlfriends_ by their first names, ma'am." Rhys said, his face impassive. God, look at her. Strong, deadly, gorgeous...she probably never needed saving a day in her life.  
  
She and Jack were _perfect_ for each other.  
  
Nisha laughed. " _Girlfriend_ is a strong word, kid. I haven't been Jack's girlfriend in years. No, what we had could generously be called friends with benefits. Very _close_ friends with lots and _lots_ of benefits."  
  
"Had?"  
  
Damn him and the way his heart lifted just a little bit before he squashed it back down. No, this was a bad idea.  
  
"Yeah. Apparently it ended shortly after he invited you into his home. He doesn't do that for just anyone, kid." She said, her voice serious. "So feel free to fuck your boss to your heart's content. You're welcome."  
  
"Thanks for the permission," Rhys said dryly. "But I won't be doing _that_ anytime soon."  
  
"Why?" Nisha asked, genuinely curious. "You clearly want to, considering how sad you looked just now. Jack _definitely_ wants to. I'm out of the equation. What's the problem?"  
  
"The problem happens after Jack gets bored of me and moves on to the next thing that catches his eye. He's Handsome fucking Jack, and I'm just some guy who's caught his attention for the moment." Rhys snapped, fed up with this conversation. "I'll save myself the pain and embarrassment of being cast aside, thanks. Had _that_ enough for one lifetime."  
  
Nisha stared at him a moment, before turning to face the nearest security camera. "Get out here, Jack. You've got some _explaining_ to do."  
  
Rhys groaned, hiding his face in his hand as the door immediately began to open. He should have realized Jack would be eavesdropping, he was _such_ an _idiot_.  
  
"Wow, Rhys. Just... _wow_." Jack said, his face hard as he walked across the threshold, the door sliding shut behind him.  
  
"Jack." Rhys began, trying not to cower under the look Jack was giving him. "I can, uh...I can explain?"  
  
"Did you know he was like this?" Nisha asked sharply. "Did you know he was this insecure?"  
  
"It's come up before."  
  
"Then why the hell didn't you tell him anything?!" Nisha snapped, whapping Jack upside the head. "Where is your fucking head, Jack? Were you never going to tell him and just hope I never show up again?"  
  
"Ow, Nish!" Jack snapped, rubbing the back of his head. "I was planning on ECHOing you later; I have a job for you, and I was gonna tell you that the booty calls had to stop _then_."  
  
"Uh-huh. Whatever." Nisha said, rolling her eyes. "So this fuck up is entirely your fault. Look at the poor kid." Nisha said, gesturing to Rhys who had been very quiet through this whole exchange. "He got all butthurt about being the other woman in this torrid soap opera because you don't know how to communicate like a goddamn _person_! This is why we didn't work, Jack!"  
  
"Really, I thought it was your constant need to be in danger before you can have any fun." Jack snapped back at her, but his eyes stayed on Rhys. "What the fuck, Rhysie? You think I'll just get bored of you and toss you aside when I've had my fun?" Holy shit, was that actual hurt on Jack's face? "After _everything_ I've done for you, after _everything_ we've been through, you think I'd treat you like _that_?"  
  
"Not to bust your ego, Jack, but I really don't think it's an indictment of you." Nisha said quietly, squinting at Rhys. "Whatever. You idiots can work this out without me. I'mma watch Angel for a bit, don't come back inside if you're gonna have sex without giving me a heads up." She smirked, looking over Rhys, who was turning redder by the minute as she walked back into the penthouse.  
  
"I..." What the hell was happening? Rhys thought. "I'm sorry?"  
  
"Sorry is definitely not going to cut it this time, cupcake." Jack said, waiting until the door closed behind Nisha. "Christ, Rhys. Don't you trust me at all? Do you really think I'm that much of a douchebag?"  
  
"I didn't mean to insult you."  
  
"You're insulting me with your poor self-esteem." Jack snapped, advancing on Rhys, causing him to back up until his back met metal. "I thought we covered this. You think Handsome Jack wastes his time on just anybody? You think Handsome Jack can't spot greatness from a mile away, much less ten feet from his desk?" Jack leaned in even closer, so close that Rhys could feel his angry coffee breath on his face. "You think Handsome Jack would-"  
  
Rhys had had quite enough of Jack talking about himself in the third person. Before Jack could say another word, Rhys darted forward, catching Jack's mouth in a kiss.  
  
Jack froze for a moment, then growled into the kiss, his hands framing Rhys' sharp cheekbones as he pushed Rhys hard into the doors of the elevator, kissing like he wanted to devour the cybernetic man. Rhys moaned softly, his hand circling one of Jack's wrists, not trying to stop him in any way, just trying to find an anchor in the sea of sensation.  
  
"Don't think you can distract me." Jack said, even as he bit and sucked his way down Rhys' throat, remembering all the spots that had made Rhys squirm the night before. "We're not done talking about this yet."  
  
"Understood." Rhys gasped, as Jack licked over a particular sensitive spot on his neck, his hand tracing the tattoos on Jack's wrist. "But it can wait till later, right?" He whimpered as Jack dragged his teeth over Rhys' thundering pulse. "Much, _much_ later?"  
  
"Hell friggin _yes_ , kitten." Jack growled, dragging him into another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, boos. Between writer's block and catering an event, I had no time to write. And I'm sorry to say I probably won't update again till after XMas. I wish you all a happy holiday, you guys are the best!


	19. Chapter 19

_A week later_

* * *

 

"Are you ready?" Jack asked, sensing Rhys' unrest. Rhys swallowed, putting on the bravest face he could manage.  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be." Rhys said with an attempt at a smile that came off like a grimace. "At least this time will be better than the last one, right?"  
  
He was stalling, and everyone-the doctors, Jack, even Angel-knew it too. He couldn't stop thinking about the last time he went in for this exact surgery, and the nightmares and trauma he had only just started to get over, and now, standing in the waiting room, about to do it all again...  
  
In truth, all he wanted to do was run back to the happy world that only existed inside the penthouse, where Angel fussed over him and Jack was bleary eyed and adorably befuddled in the morning and everything was _great_.  
  
"Count on that, kitten. Anyone so much as breathes on you wrong, I'll throw them out the goddamn window." Jack growled, his hands clenching for a moment. "When you wake up, we'll be here, and we’ll take you home, won't we, baby?"  
  
"Right." Angel said, her face fierce and concerned in equal parts. "We'll make sure they did everything right. No screw ups."  
  
"That's my girl." Jack crooned proudly, ruffling her hair affectionately. "I'll have the doctors ECHO me when you're done, babe. Go get some shiny new parts."  
  
"Right." Rhys swallowed one more time. "Wish me luck?"  
  
Jack responded by dragging Rhys into a short, but thorough kiss, leaving Rhys breathless and flushed.  
  
"I don't believe in luck." Jack said, turning Rhys around and smacking him on the ass. "Get to it."  
  
And he did.

* * *

  
It started as an itch, right across the center of his scar, where the mark ran deepest. Jack knew the signs, had experienced them time and time again. Whether it was the mask itself, or some horrible Eridian side effect, it was impossible to wear the mask for long periods of time. He knew what happened when he did, and knew he couldn't afford it. Not now. Not when he needed to be there for Rhys.  
  
But it was too late. He was paying the price for having those days with Rhys at the penthouse, wearing the mask 24/7 without taking it off, for fear that Rhys would somehow see. Even at night, wrapped around Rhys who slept like the dead, he couldn't risk taking it off. What if Rhys had woken up? What if he had seen?  
  
And now, a mere hour before Rhys was scheduled to come out of surgery, Jack couldn't bear to have the mask on one second longer. He'd have to keep it off for a day at least before he'd be able to put it back on.  
  
But that meant...letting Rhys down.  
  
"Sweetheart?" Jack called, heading down the hallway to the foyer, where Angel was practically vibrating with impatience.  
  
"Yeah, daddy?" Angel chirped, frowning when she saw the look on her father's face. "Are you okay, daddy?"  
  
"’Fraid not, baby girl."  
  
"Is it your face, daddy? Does it hurt?"  
  
Damn, she was perceptive for a munchkin.  
  
"Yeah, baby. I'm not gonna be able to go see Rhys with you."  
  
"But daddy, you _promised_." Angel said. "Can't you go without it? You can make sure no one sees you, can't you?"  
  
"Sorry, baby, I can't. I can't let people see me like this, you know that."  
  
"But it's _Rhys_ , daddy." Angel said, and wasn't it funny how she sounded _exactly_ like the part of him that wanted to say fuck it and just go? And by funny, he meant horrible. "Don't you care about him?"  
  
"Baby-"  
  
"He won't _understand_. He'll think you don't _care_ about him, and he'll-"  
  
"I'm sorry, baby."  
  
"...Fine." She said at last, and _wow_ , Jack didn't think there was a worse sound than the resigned disappointment in her voice. "Can you send for someone to get me? _Somebody_ should be there for him, at least."  
  
"Of course, baby girl. I'll call Maya right now."  
  
"Not just Maya. Call _everyone_." She demanded, her voice quiet. "It's the _least_ you can do if _you're_ not gonna show up for him."  
  
Wow. That was...probably better than he deserved, actually, but still way more harsh than he expected coming from his baby girl.  
  
"Whatever you want, baby." Jack said at last, reaching for his ECHO and trying to ignore the feeling that he was making a huge mistake.

* * *

  
Rhys woken up slowly, feeling like he was floating up to the surface of a very deep lake. It was already very different from the last time he had this surgery. He wasn't already screaming, for one thing, and it didn't feel like his nerves were being electrocuted. Actually, he felt warm, and the feeling of his hand was pleasantly cool against his face.  
  
His...right hand.  
  
He blinked, his eyes focusing slowly in the dim light of the room. He inhaled sharply, his heart starting to pound in anticipation as he looked at his new appendage for the first time.  
  
It was shiny chrome silver, just like Jack had promised, and the blocky design of the knuckles and palm were charmingly childish, but more than that, it _fit_ , better than the old arm ever did. Despite the appearance, if Rhys closed his eyes, now brown and liquid gold instead of brown and piercing blue, and truly concentrated, he couldn't feel the ever present crackle of electricity that had been in his old arm, like a loose wire sparking in his brain. He couldn't feel the difference between where the arm ended and he began.  
  
For the first time in ten years, he felt...whole.

* * *

  
"Surprise!" Angel shouted when Rhys came into the room.  
  
"Whaaaat is happening now?" Rhys asked, looking around the tiny waiting room around which stood...pretty much everyone he had met who was cleared to know Angel, and Vaughn and Yvette as well. Axton and wilhelm flanked the entrance, glaring at anyone who came within ten feet of the room, while Aurelia and Timothy took up four chairs, with Aurelia lying across Timothy’s lap. Maya, Gaige and Nisha surrounded Angel on all sides, hiding her from any outside eyes.  
  
"Angel wanted us here. These two came on their own." Axton said, jerking his head at Vaughn and Yvette, who were doing their best to seem nonthreatening and small. "I've already explained to them what happens now that they know about Angel."  
  
"I...really? I don't have to lie anymore?" Rhys asked, delighted.  
  
"Yeah. Consider it a get well present from all of us."  
  
For a moment, Rhys couldn't breathe through the lump in his throat, as his eyes reared up just a bit. It was so...thoughtful, and nice, and not really something he expected from this ragtag group of assassins and badasses.  
  
But there was one problem.  
  
"Where's your dad, Angel?" Rhys asked, his good mood deflating as he realized Jack wasn't there.  
  
She paused, looking stricken. "He...he couldn't make it. I'm really, really sorry."  
  
"Oh." Rhys swallowed, trying not to let the hurt show on his face. "That’s okay. I'm sure he had more important things to do-"  
  
"No, he _didn't_!" Angel said, sounding angry and upset. "I don't understand why he didn't come, and why I can't tell you why he didn't come, but I can't, and it's not _fair_!"  
  
"Angel-"  
  
"He promised he would be here, and I don't understand why he does this! He ruins everything, every time someone gets too close and I just-!" She clenched her fists and stamped her foot. "I HATE IT!"  
  
A chair shot from one side of the room to the other as Angel's tattoos glowed bright under the left sleeve of her dress, narrowly missing Wilhelm who merely raised his eyebrows at it.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Angel cried, holding her hands close to her chest, looking at all the occupants of the room in fear. "I'm sorry, I lost my temper. I won't do it again, please don't tell daddy-"  
  
"It’s okay, honey." Rhys said automatically, his voice sounding far away to his own ears as his mind whirled. He was a child of Pandora. There was no way he didn’t know what she was.  
  
He couldn't believe it. A siren. All this time, Handsome Jack's daughter had been a siren, and he had had no idea.  
  
"What the fuck just happened?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"First off, language." Axton said, drawing a couple of guns and aiming them at Vaughn and Yvette's heads. "Second, it was nice knowing ya, kids."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Rhys said, stepping in front of his best friends. "What are you DOING?"  
  
"Sorry, Rhys. Standard protocol. We can't let just anyone walk around with this knowledge. It was going to be an uphill battle trying to convince jack that letting them see Angel wasn't a mistake. If he knew they knew about this, I'd be all our heads on the chopping block. You understand."  
  
"No, we _do_ _not_ understand!" Vaughn yelped, cowering behind Rhys.  
  
"Rhys, do something." Yvette hissed, her nails digging into the meat of his shoulder.  
  
"What about me? I saw it too! Are you going to kill me, too?" Rhys asked hotly.  
  
"Of course not!" Nisha said, as if Rhys were slow. "But Jack's not in love with them, Rhys."  
  
Did she just say _love_?  
  
"Look, guys, you don't have to do this." Rhys said, and the pitying looks on all their faces was somehow worse than cold-blooded violence.  
  
"Sorry, Rhys. It's out of my hands. Move aside."  
  
"No."  
  
"They have to die, Rhys. They can either get a quick death now, or you can wait till Jack finds out, and they can get a slow death suffocating in space." Axton cocked his gun. "Don't make me have to hurt you, Rhys."  
  
"No. I won't let you do this." Rhys said.  
  
"Axton, we can't do this here." Maya said softly, putting her hand on the commando's. "At the very least, we can't do this while Angel's here."  
  
"Are you suggesting we lie to Handsome Jack? About a matter concerning his daughter's safety and identity as a siren?" Axton asked, resisting her attempts to force his gun down. "Do you really see that ending well for any one of us?"  
  
"He can be reasoned with-"  
  
"Not about this, sweetheart."  
  
"Just...wait a moment." Rhys said. "Let me talk to Jack. Give me some time to reason with him."  
  
"Are you asking me to disobey orders, Rhys?"  
  
"Not disobey. Postpone making a decision. For a day. If you don't hear from Jack after then, then assume it's taken care of." Rhys could see the hesitation in Axton’s face and he knew he had him. "Please Axton."  
  
"...Fine. Only because I have reasonable doubts that Jack will say no to your face." The commando said, lowering his guns. "If I were you two, I'd have a plan in place to get the hell out of dodge as soon as possible. Because if I get the order from Jack in twenty four hours, it will be far too late to run."  
  
"Thank you, Axton." Rhys said, gratefully.  
  
"Whatever." Axton said, holstering his weapons. "I hope you know what you're doing, Rhys."  
  
"Rhys..." Yvette whispered. Rhys turned his back on the room to face his friends.  
  
"Just go back to your apartments and lay low. I've got this. Trust me."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Trust me."  
  
"...Alright, bro." Vaughn said, squeezing his flesh arm while Yvette hugged him tightly around the neck. "Be careful."  
  
"Stay safe." Yvette added, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before she and Vaughn left. Only then did Rhys finally notice Gaige and Angel staying out of the way in a corner, Angel's face buried in the teenager's shirt.  
  
"Angel?" Rhys asked, going to the girls and dropping into a crouch beside where they were sitting. Angel was sniffling, her hands clenched in Gaige's clothing while Gaige petted her hair comfortingly. "Angel, are you okay?"  
  
"I ruined everything again." She cries softly, her voice muffled by fabric. "I just wanted you to be happy, and I messed everything up."  
  
"Honey, it's okay-"  
  
"No it's not." She wailed. "Daddy's gonna make your friends go away and it's all my fault! I'm so, so sorry, Rhys!"  
  
Rhys inhaled deeply, his hands clenching at his sides.  
  
"Gaige, could you take Angel for the night? I need to have a word with her father." Rhys said, his voice impassive. "Angel, sweetie. It's not your fault. I will deal with your dad while you're at Gaige's, okay? Don't be sad. I can't bear it when you're sad."  
  
Angel whimpered, her eyes red and wet when she finally looked up at Rhys. He smiled encouragingly.  
  
"Don't worry. Everything's gonna be okay."

He was going to make sure of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi.
> 
> SO. I'm not dead? Yay? Sorry for the radio silence friends, but you all know how life gets.You have all the time in the world and then no time at all. And I'm currently prepping to interview for the Disney culinary program, so updates may be scarce still. Sorry.
> 
> You guys are amazing and I love you all! :D


	20. Chapter 20

"Excuse me, sir, but...you have a visitor."  
  
"Tell him to go away, Felicity." Jack groused, staring morosely out of the window, an empty tumbler in his hand. He wasn't interested in dealing with both Angel's and Rhys' disappointment in him right now. "Just let Angel in."  
  
"Angel isn't with him. He's sent her to Gaige's for the night, and he's refusing to leave until you speak to him."  
  
Jack groaned, rubbing his hand over his face, hissing when his scar smarted at the touch. He knew just how stubborn Rhys was; the idiot would have no problem sitting out there all night, and after just going through intensive surgery, that couldn't be good for him.  
  
_Fuck_.  
  
"Fine. Put me on speaker." Jack grumbled, getting to his feet in search of more alcohol. He needed to be way more drunk to deal with this  
  
"-ucking goddamnit, Jack, open this fucking door!" Rhys shouted, and Jack could hear the hollow metal echoes as he pounded on the door. "You owe me an explanation, Jack!"  
  
"What, a man can't have a sick day, kiddo?" Jack snapped, torn between wanting to check with him, see how the surgery went, and tearing him a new one for unlocking the extra special level of pain behind his eyes.  
  
"Not _that_! Why the fuck didn't you tell me about Angel?"  
  
"What about Angel?" Jack asked warily, putting the whiskey he had just picked up back down.  
  
" _What_ _about_ _Angel_?" Rhys repeated incredulously. "Well, maybe the fact that she's a goddamn _siren_ , how 'bout that?"  
  
_No_.  
  
"What?" Jack shouted when he found his voice, whipping around so fast he knocked the bottle of whiskey over, sending it tumbling to the floor. "What happened?" Jack asked, ignoring the shards of glass now scattered around the kitchen and the liquid drenching his sneakers.  
  
"Open the door and I'll tell you-" Rhys began.  
  
"I wasn't fucking talking to _you_!" Jack snapped. "Felicity! What happened and why the fuck didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Jack, but I couldn't tell you." Felicity replied, somehow managing to sound both mystified and terrified at the same time. "I still can't."  
  
"Why the fuck not?" Jack asked, his voice dangerously low, completely forgetting that Rhys could still hear him.  
  
"Angel won't let me."  
  
_Huh_?  
  
"What the hell do you mean she won't let you?"  
  
"Apparently it means you'll have to ask her yourself." Rhys said. "But you have to deal with me first."  
  
"Rhys-" Jack said warningly, not sure how he would carry out the threat in his voice but confident that he would think of something.  
  
"You say that I don't trust you, but you apparently have never completely trusted me with anything! Did you think I'd say something? That I'd use this knowledge? That I would suddenly not want do anything short of jumping on a grenade to keep her safe? Fucking hell, Jack, do you know me at all?!"  
  
When Jack didn't answer, Rhys sighed, a dull thunk echoing as he rested his forehead against the metal door.  
  
"Goddamnit, Jack, what are we doing? Let me in so we can talk about this like people."  
  
"No."  
  
He couldn't.  
  
"Why not?" Rhys asked, his voice almost a whine.  
  
"I just can't, kiddo."  
  
He couldn't lose Rhys too.  
  
"That's not an answer."  
  
"Rhys..."  
  
He wouldn't recover. Not _ever_.  
  
" _Please_."  
  
"I _can't_."  
  
He'd really break this time.  
  
"...Is it me? Is it something about me, something that I've done to make you not trust me?"  
  
What? How could he even think that? Didn't he know that he was the person Jack trusted most, outside of his own flesh and blood?  
  
"No. But I don't trust anyone but Angel with this anymore."  
  
"Not Nisha? Wilhelm? Timothy?"  
  
"No one."  
  
Not after _she_ betrayed him.  
  
"Jack I'm begging you to please trust me for once. I would never betray you or Angel, you know that. I..." He sighed, making Jack wait with baited breath to hear what he had to say. "I care about the both of you too much to even think about it."  
  
Damnit.  
  
'Don't do it. It won't end well. At best, he'll be disgusted; at worst, he could tell people. Don't do it, don't do it, don't _fucking_ _do_ _it_ -'  
  
"Felicity, shut off all the lights, and close the windows. I don't want him to be able to see an inch in front of his nose."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
\---  
  
Rhys breathed a sigh of relief as the locks on the door began to disengage. He stood back, allowing the door to swing open before walking into total darkness.  
  
"Jack?" Rhys asked quietly, trying to see in the darkness as the door shut behind him. With a barely audible whir, his new echo eye came online, switching to night vision mode with ease, outlining the whole room in shades of green. "Huh. Night vision. That's new."  
  
"Fucking what vision?!" Jack shouted, turning away from Rhys, hiding his face. "Get out!"  
  
"Jack-"  
  
"I SAID GET OUT!" Jack said, his voice panicked and loud.  
  
"Jack what the hell is going on with you?"  
  
"Rhys if you're not out of here in the next ten seconds-" he growled.  
  
"You'll what?" Rhys challenged. "Shoot me, strangle me? Jack, just talk to me, what's going on?"  
  
Rhys fell silent when a glass shattered against the wall not a foot away from him.  
  
"DON'T FUCKING LOOK AT ME!"  
  
Rhys froze, the sheer desperation in Jack's voice making him stop in his tracks. A quick glance around the room told him everything, as he spotted the glass on the floor, Jack hunched away from him, and the outline of Jack's mask sitting on the counter.  
  
"Alright. I won't." Rhys said, his voice gentle and quiet now, as he shut his eyes. "I'm sorry. Do you need anything?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Is there anything I can do to help? Or do you really want me to leave?" Rhys asked, careful as ever, staying very still as though afraid of further frightening him. "Jack?"  
  
"I..."  
  
What was he supposed to do? This...easy acceptance of Rhys' wasn't something he'd ever planned for. He expected more stubborn obstinate fighting and shouting, so that he could rage and not feel bad when he kicked Rhys out in a minute.  
  
This...this wasn't something he'd ever dealt with before.  
  
"Right." Rhys said at last, trying not to feel disappointed. "Let me know if you want me to get Angel before the morning. I'll escort her up and Felicity can let her in. Good night, Jack."  
  
No.  
  
"No. Wait." Jack said at last, catching rhys' hand in a firm grip as he turned away. "Don't leave."  
  
_Don't leave me alone_.  
  
"But-"  
  
"I..." Jack swallowed, and forced himself to say the words. "I trust you not to say anything. I trust you to keep my secrets." And _wow,_ that wasn't something he'd ever thought he'd say again. But it was true all the same; the thought of losing Rhys hurt much more than he thought it would, and that voice in his head that told him to stop, get out before it's too late, wasn't nearly loud enough to stop him anymore. "Stay. With me."  
  
"Okay. I will." Rhys said, as if everything were just that easy. And maybe with him, it could be. "Can I get you anything? Do anything?" Rhys squeezed Jack's hand, raising it to his lips. "What do you need, handsome?" He breathed across Jack's knuckles, his lips softly brushing against the back of his hand, and a wave of want almost sent Jack to his knees.  
  
"You." He whispered harshly, backing Rhys up against the wall. Rhys let him manhandle him backward, his eyes still closed as he trusted Jack, had always trusted Jack-  
  
"I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Jack made a sound frighteningly close to a whimper and dragged Rhys into a messy, desperate kiss. There was a moment when it all felt like too much, like there was too much unspoken feeling between them that neither was willing to say just yet. But Jack pushed past that, pulling Rhys as close as possible, kissing him until he ran out of air before immediately going back for more.  Rhys allowed himself to be devoured as Jack clutched at him, his hands gentle against Jack's back as he slowly guided Jack into a much less frantic kiss, parting only when Jack pulled away, breathing heavily into the space between them.  
  
"Aren't you gonna look?" Jack asked when Rhys kept his eyes shut even after they parted.  
  
"You told me not to." Rhys said simply.  
  
"I take it back. You can do whatever you want."  
  
"You clearly don't want me to." He shrugged, keeping his eyes closed and his chin down. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."  
  
Jack's rough hand tilted Rhys' chin up, but Rhys steadfastly kept his eyes shut. "I want you to look." Jack said quietly. "I trust you."  
  
And wasn't it funny, how the words _'I trust you_ ' seemed to sound like something far more meaningful, something akin to the words ' _I love you_ ' when Jack said them? Rhys inhaled quietly, opening his brown and gold eyes slowly.  
  
"Oh my god!" Rhys gasped, his eyes widening as soon as Jack's face came into focus, tinted green but crystal clear with his night vision.  
  
"Yeah." Jack said, self-deprecating and hollow, his one good eye tracing over Rhys' features warily. He didn't seem too disgusted. _Yet_. "Not so handsome after all, huh?"  
  
"What happened to you?" Rhys asked, reaching for Jack's face but stopping when Jack flinched away. "Sorry, sorry." He said, lowering his hands to Jack's shoulders, even as they itched to touch the scar, to find the places that itched or hurt and make them better. "Jesus, Jack, what even leaves a mark like that?"  
  
" _That_ is a long story, kitten." Jack said, not meeting his eyes. Rhys dragged his hands down to Jack's chest.  
  
"Can I..." Rhys hesitated wanting to reach out and touch the scar but decided against it, changing tactics on a dime. "Does it still hurt?"  
  
"Doesn't ever really stop hurting, to be honest." Jack inhaled deeply, bracing himself. "You can touch it if you want."  
  
"I..." Rhys swallowed. He did want, but... "I don't want to hurt you."  
  
"I know." Jack said, taking Rhys' hand and placing it on his own scarred cheek, fighting a wince through sheer force of will. "That’s why I'm saying you can."  
  
Rhys inhaled quietly, his fingertips gentle as they began to trace the outer edges of the strange blue scar. The skin around the scar was red and inflamed, and it was warm under Rhys' fingers, far warmer than the rest of Jack's skin. Impulsively, Rhys reached up to run his cold, smooth metal fingers as delicately as possible over the skin, eliciting a shudder and a muffled groan from Jack.  
  
Rhys smiled, his hand running through Jack's hair, settling on the back of his neck. He pulled, gently, slowly, until Jack was close enough for Rhys to begin pressing light kisses along the length of the scar. Jack stood so still, hardly breathing under Rhys' affection.  
  
"Thank you for trusting me Jack." He murmured in between presses of his lips. "Does this happen a lot?" Rhys asked, reaching the other edge of the scar.  
  
"It happens when I leave the mask on for longer than a day. Usually I...take it off at night." Jack answered, and Rhys chose to ignore the thinly masked emotion in his voice.  
  
"But you didn't...because I was here?" Rhys guessed, putting two and two together and coming up with a massive guilt trip. "Oh god, no wonder you didn't trust me to help you. _I_ did this to you."  
  
" _No_ , you didn't." Jack growled, his voice insistently. "I should know better. And..." Jack ran his thumbs over the backs of Rhys' hands. "I do trust you, kitten. I do."  
  
"Jack..."  
  
"I do trust you." Jack repeated, more to himself than Rhys. "You'd never betray me."  
  
And for the first time in a long time, Jack found he actually believed that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiiiii...please dont kill me for being so late. BUT GOOD NEWS FRIENDS! I got into the Disney Culinary Program after all! Between that and my birthday, I just couldnt find the time to write. But though updates may come slowly, I have not given up on this fic, especially since we are in the home stretch!
> 
> Thank you all for your support, it means everything to me!


	21. Chapter 21

"Sorry I threw things at you." Jack said as they reclined on Jack's bed, his head pillowed on Rhys' shoulder while the lanky man ran his flesh hand through the streak of gray in Jack's hair.  
  
"I'm over it." Rhys said, his face illuminated by the light of his new palm screen as he tweaked Jack's schedule, giving them a couple of days off to recuperate. A deep satisfied purr rumbled from Jack's chest as Rhys ran his nails lightly over his sensitive scalp, his eyes dropping lower with each pass.  
  
But he couldn't fall asleep yet. For the first time in years, he felt like he had to explain himself, explain the reasons behind his actions. He wanted to tell Rhys...

Everything.  
  
"I killed Angel's mother."  
  
But there was probably better ways to start than with that, he thought, cursing himself. Way to ease into it, Jack. Way to go.  
  
To his credit, Rhys didn't even flinch at the statement. He just closed his hand over his palm screen, shutting it down so he could focus his attention on Jack, while still allowing him the false anonymity of the dark.  
  
"Did she deserve it?" He asked when it seemed like Jack had nothing further to add.  
  
"Yes." Jack said heatedly, his response instant. She had. There was no doubt in Jack’s mind that she did.  
  
That, out of everything he’d done, was something he would never lose sleep over.  
  
"Do you regret it?"  
  
"...no." A little bit of hesitation this time. A part of him regretted that Angel had never truly known her mother, but that part was fleeting at the best of times.  
  
Jack didn’t have the best track record with mothers, himself, grand or otherwise. What did he know about what constituted a good mother anyway?  
  
Better that she never have to deal with the disappointment of a mother that didn’t care.  
  
"Do you want to tell me about this, or do you think you need to?"  
  
"Both?" He said at last. Rhys settled himself closer to Jack, getting comfortable in the CEO's bed.  
  
"Alright. Then tell me."  
  
It took a while for Jack to find the words to begin, but he pressed on anyway.  
  
It was time for the truth.  


* * *

  
"I met Angel's mom here, at Hyperion, way before I ever even heard about the Elpis vault. She was...tough, and ruthless, and she didn't take shit from anybody. I guess that was the Pandora in her." Jack paused, waiting for Rhys to say something, something about how Angel's mother sounded an awful lot like...Rhys himself.  
  
The voice of paranoia in Jack’s head had said as much many a time.  
  
But he stayed silent, letting Jack speak at his own pace without commentary. "We weren't careful. She got pregnant, so I married her. We barely knew each other at the time. I was obsessed with taking over from Tassiter, and I thought the vault would be the perfect way to do it. So I assembled a team of Vault Hunters, even commissioned a doppelgänger, and...that's when the Lost Legion attacked. I had sent Angel's mother to Pandora as soon as we were married, to be with her parents…and out of my hair, I guess. I figured if anyone could protect her, they could. I was an idiot."  
  
God, the thought of those monsters she had called parents made Jack’s blood boil, even now. But he forced himself to stay focused. The worst of it was still to come.  
  
"Zarpedon, the leader of the Lost Legion, said that the reason she attacked Helios was to save the universe. I didn't understand what she meant by that until I was in the vault itself."  
  
Jack swallowed hard. This was where it was going to get difficult. Jack still had nightmares about this part.  
  
"There was...something inside the vault. I didn't know what it was, but when I touched it...I saw...everything."  
  
And it had been _glorious_ at first. A shining future, a Pandora purged of all the blood and madness, a new world risen from the ashes, everything Jack could ever want in the palm of his hand. It had felt like destiny, like pure power had been coursing through his veins. He had laughed, high on the euphoria of his own future.  
  
And then…  
  
"Jack?" Rhys said, speaking up for the first time since Jack had begun his tale. "Jack, you're shaking."  
  
Just get it out, he told himself. Like popping a dislocated shoulder back into its socket;    excruciating, but necessary.  
  
"It was good visions at first, but then, something shifted. I saw a girl chained to a machine, pumped full of poison, and I just...felt the worst kind of fear when I saw her. I saw my wife's mutilated corpse in my arms, my baby crying in a room full of bodies, blood raining down from everywhere, thousands dead, my team broken and in pieces scattered around me, Helios falling from the sky-"  
  
"JACK!" Rhys said sharply, his cold metal fingers brushing Jack's cheek, bringing him back from the edge of panic. "Breathe."  
  
Jack gasped for air, not realizing how long he had gone without. He unclenched his hands, feeling the blood rush back to the tight skin.  
  
"That's when that creepy red siren punched the artifact into my face." He said bitterly, leaning into Rhys' hand so that the cool metal soothed the itching scar tissue. "She did this to me, and I kind of...lost it for a while after that. I was so hell bent on revenge and power I didn't notice what had happened to my wife until it was too late."  
  
“I had never met her parents. Maybe if I had, I would have realized what a bad idea it was to send a pregnant woman to live with them.” And maybe if he had taken the time to know her, to build the family they could have had, maybe everything would have turned out differently. “They were members of this stupid doomsday cult, obsessed with the sirens. They believed that one day, a siren would be born that would have the power to cleanse Pandora of all the evil, who could sense and open vaults as she pleased, with total control over the monsters inside. They called her the white siren.”  
  
“Angel.” Rhys breathed in horror.  
  
“Yeah. One look at her tattoos and the bastards were sold.” But how they could have looked at Angel, sweet, slightly pudgy baby Angel, and see a weapon, was beyond him. All Jack saw when he looked at her was everything that was good and pure in this fucked up universe; every smile, every laugh a reminder that not everything was awful. “They had already brainwashed her mother into believing their bullshit by the time she was born. The first I heard about Angel was when her mother ECHOed me to tell me that Angel had died in childbirth.”  
  
“But she hadn’t.”  
  
“I know. Bitch thought I would just take her fucking word for it.”  
  
And thank God he didn’t. Six months of ruling Hyperion had taught him never to take anything at face value, and had he believed her, he would have lost the best thing in his life before he’d ever had it.  
  
“I found them in a fucking volcano, of all places. It had been hollowed out into some kind of shrine, and I watched while they…”  
  
Fuck, this shouldn’t be this hard. The bitch had tried to steal his baby from him. She gave Angel to people who wanted to turn her into some kind of superweapon before she could even walk. She was the last person he should feel anything for.  
  
“They…”  
  
It would have been entirely different if he had been the one to end that bitch. If he had dealt the final blow, he would…he would feel differently.  
  
Maybe.  
  
“The fucking bastards slit her throat and bled her dry as some kind of offering.” He said, speaking as fast as he could so he wouldn’t feel bad. He rolled out of the bed, feeling the itch to break something flood through his veins. Rhys didn’t even try to stop him. “Her own parents sacrificed their only daughter like a fucking _animal_ for some crazy bullshit about a prophecy and they were going to do the same thing to my BABY!” he shouted, grabbing the nearest moveable object and throwing it against the wall. The ECHO shattered loudly, the pieces clattering to the floor while Jack panted hard.  
  
"And I let them do it." He said at last, finally voicing the guilt that had eaten at him since forever. She had deserved to die, but at his hands. Not at theirs. Not like that.  
  
“So what did you do to them?” Rhys asked, his voice cool. Jack turned to look at the man on the bed, trying to see his expression in the dark.  
  
“I took Angel out of there and blew the whole mountain to kingdom come, what the fuck do you _think_ I did?”  
  
“Good.” Rhys said, with such venom in his voice, more than Jack thought Rhys was even capable of. “They _deserved_ what they got. They deserved _worse_.”  
  
“You…”  
  
“I would have torn them apart, limb from limb, until they begged for mercy.” Rhys said, getting up from the bed and walking over to where Jack stood frozen still. “How _dare_ they do that to an innocent baby? How dare they do that to their own _granddaughter_?” God, he sounded like every righteous, fury-filled part of him, the parts that didn't regret _anything_ so long as it kept his baby girl safe. “You did the right thing, Jack.”  
  
“I know I did.”  
  
“Then what’s the problem?”  
  
“I never told Angel the truth.”  
  
“Why would you? She wasn’t ready to know this. She _still_ probably isn’t ready to know the truth.” Rhys held Jack's face in his hands, pressing his lips against Jack's slack mouth once, leaning his forehead against Jack's. “Don’t worry. I will keep your secrets, Jack.”  
  
“I know you will.” Jack said, the words almost automatic now. “You’re not…”  
  
“Jack, I know you would do anything to protect to Angel. I know that. If anyone so much as touched my sisters, I would have done the exact same thing." And he would. Everything that Jack had seen indicated that Rhys would fight to his last breath for Angel. It was something more than just simple _caring_...it could only be love. "I'm not going anywhere, Jack. Nothing you can say or do is going to change that."  
  
"You say that _now_."  
  
"Yeah, I say that now. And I'll say it again, and I'll keep saying it for however long it takes for you to believe me." Rhys smile, his face serene and confident. "You’re more than your scars, too."  
  
Jack stared at Rhys' shadowed face, his stubborn expression made almost gruesome in the faint light from the window. He looked like Death himself couldn't move him, so sure in his belief in Jack.  
  
It was everything Jack had needed to see.  
  
"God, I think I love you, Rhysie." Jack breathed, pulling Rhys into a kiss and dragging him back towards the bed, removing every one of Rhys' layers and practically worshipping the skin revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SO SORRY this took forever guys, but can I just say that every time I thought this chapter was kicking my ass, all I had to do was read the lovely comments you guys leave and my faith in my writing was restored. Thank you so much for all your kind words and encouragement. It really means the world to me.


	22. Chapter 22

"What happened with Angel?" Jack finally asked as the afterglow began to fade, feeling his breath start to even out while Rhys' heart pounded against his.  
  
"Mm?" Rhys hummed, nuzzling his face into Jack's neck, his weight comforting and grounding on Jack's chest.  
  
"What happened with Angel? How did you find out she was a siren?"  
  
Jack felt Rhys tense, and quickly ran his hand down Rhys back. "Hey, relax. It's fine, so long as no one without clearance saw her go all glowy and shit."  
  
"Jack..."  
  
"Rhys." Jack said, uneasy at the sound of Rhys' tentative voice. "No one saw her, _right_?"  
  
"I can explain." Rhys said, lifting himself off Jack and sitting back on his haunches, a hiss of discomfort escaping him.  
  
"What is there to explain?" Jack asked warily.  
  
"See, Angel somehow contacted my friends, Vaughn and Yvette about-"  
  
"TWO PEOPLE SAW HER?!" Jack interrupted, his blood freezing in his chest. How, how could this have happened? God _damnit_ , he should have been there, he should have been there for Rhys and to protect Angel and damn this stupid fucking scar-  
  
"Jack, it's okay, they can be trusted-" Rhys said, his voice a forced calm.  
  
"I don't trust anyone I don't know, Rhys. Even people I _do_ know are touch and go." Jack reminded him, swinging his feet over the side of the bed, about to get up and deal with the situation himself. He felt the itch in his hands, and the part in the back of his brain that needed to know where Angel was at all times, that couldn't bear to see anything happen to his beautiful baby girl was screaming-  
  
But Rhys wrapped his arms around Jack's waist, keeping him in place as he pressed his lips to the back of Jack's neck.  
  
"Do you trust me?" Rhys asked, biting down on his own panic, riding high in his throat as he nuzzled Jack's warm skin.  
  
"Rhys-" Jack warned, but Rhys just kept placing kisses all around Jack's neck, making his thoughts scatter and tempting him back into the bed.  
  
"Don't you? You said you did earlier. Was that just talk to get me to-"  
  
"No. I mean, yes, I do trust you, kitten." Jack groaned, as Rhys hands began slowly tracing down Jack's chest.  
  
"Do you trust that I would never put Angel in danger?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
That was beyond questioning.  
  
"Then trust me on this. Vaughn and Yvette would never betray me. _Us_." Rhys insisted, taking Jack's earlobe between his teeth.  
  
"Rhys-"  
  
"Please." Rhys murmured, his voice low and seductive and DAMN, where did he learn how to do _that_?  
  
Jack groaned, knowing he was beaten. He had practically been putty in Rhys' hands since the start, and if he wasn't torn between berating Rhys for manipulating him and wanting to fuck him senseless, he'd actually be impressed.  
  
"Fine. I won't kill them." _Yet_ , he added to himself. If there was ever a hint of betrayal, not even Rhys could keep his anger leashed.  
  
"Thank you, Jack."  
  
"Before you go any further..." Felicity drawled, startling Rhys out of his skin and sending him toppling back over the side of the bed. "You should know that Angel is outside, requesting entry."  
  
"Forgot about my eye in the sky, didn't ya, Rhysie?" Jack laughed, as Rhys' sex-tousled head came back into view. "You okay, babe?"  
  
"Shut up." Rhys grumbled, throwing Jack's jeans at his grinning face. "Get dressed. Angel's waiting."

* * *

  
"Daddy, you can't hurt Rhys' friends." Angel said as soon as the door opened, her hands on her hips, a large round metal ball positioned in front of her.  
  
"Angel..." Jack began, immediately looking around the hallway. "Where the _hell_ is your escort, young lady-?!"  
  
"You _can't_ , okay? Rhys loves them, and you can't take them away! He already lost his family, you can't take them away! I won't let you!" Angel shouted, stamping her foot, her face fierce in the fluorescent light of the hallway.  
  
"Baby-"  
  
"I have a trade!" She rolled the metal ball over to Jack, turning it so a large button was facing up. "You can have Gortys if you let Rhys' friends live."  
  
There was a moment of silence, when both Rhys' and Jack's voices failed them as they looked at Angel, willing to give up her very first endeavor at robotics...as a _bargaining_ _chip_.  
  
"Why would I need Gortys?" Jack said after a moment, his voice slightly strangled. "She's meant to be a companion bot, isn't she?"  
  
"I changed her last night. I gave her new programming." Angel said, rubbing eyes that Rhys could see were bloodshot with lack of sleep. "Now, she can find vaults." Angel said, sounding both proud and sad at the same time.  
  
"She can what?" Jack and Rhys said together.  
  
"Yeah. It took up all the space from her personality though, so she won't...she won't be..." Angel bit back a sob. "It doesn't matter. It works."  
  
"Angel, how did you-" Rhys began, his mind reeling at the prospect of little Angel holding the keys to ultimate power and riches.  
  
"That's what you want, right?" Angel interrupted, staring at her father, who was frozen in place. "That's enough to trade? You can have Gortys, but you _have_ to let Rhys' friends live."

Rhys glanced at Jack, trying to gauge his reaction. Jack's was nearly bloodless, his scar stark against pale skin. His eyes were frantically darting between Gortys and his baby girl, and his mouth worked soundlessly as he tried to find words.

"Please, daddy?"  
  
Jack made a wounded sound, turning his back abruptly and walking away from his daughter, slamming the door to his room behind him.  
  
Rhys couldn't move for a moment. "Jack?" He called, making an aborted movement to go after him.  
  
"Handsome Jack is not to be disturbed." Felicity said automatically, the words soulless, like she was forced to say them.  
  
"What's his heart rate, Felicity?" Rhys asked, a glimmer of understanding in his eyes.  
  
"160 beats per minute. His breathing is also incredibly erratic." Felicity added, unprompted, her voice now concerned.  
  
"Alright." Rhys said at last, his heart aching in his chest. "Keep me posted."  
  
"I don't understand." Angel said, drawing Rhys' attention back to her. She stood trembling in the doorway, her hands clenching at her sides. "I thought he'd be _happy_. He's always talking about vaults, and how hard it is to find one. I thought he'd be happy." She repeated, her voice strangled with tears.  
  
"Oh, honey." Rhys said, dropping to his knees and holding her as she began to cry, her tears wetting his shoulder as he rubbed his cybernetic hand over her back. "It's alright. He's not mad at you, honey."  
  
"I don't _understand_." She bawled, holding Rhys as tightly as she could. "I didn't mean to make him angry."  
  
"He's not angry, sweetie." Rhys repeated, feeling his heart break a little. On one hand, he could understand Jack's turmoil. With all his worries about accidentally hurting her, seeing her do something like this of her own accord...it's no wonder the man needed space. On the other, Angel was crying, and it was hell listening to her cry. "I think he's just...upset because you changed your special robot into a bargaining chip. He's sad that you thought you had to give up the project you've been working on for so long so that you could negotiate with him." Rhys pulled Angel away from him enough to look her in her watery blue eyes, taking her hands in his. "You didn't need to do that, honey. You know your dad would do anything for you."  
  
"But your friends..."  
  
"I'm so touched that you did this for me, honey." Rhys said, his voice wobbling just a little bit as he wiped her tears away. "But you don't have to make this sacrifice for me. I already talked your dad out of killing my friends."  
  
"R-really?" She asked, shocked, her eyes wide.  
  
"Yeah. So why don't you and I spend some time figuring out how to put Gortys back together the right way, and when your dad calms down, he can lend us a hand? How does that sound?"  
  
"Do you even know how to do that?" Angel asked, sniffling as she smiled shakily.  
  
"Not a clue. But I can pull the schematics up on my arm, and you can teach me." Angel laughed, her arms winding around Rhys' neck once more. "Don’t worry, honey. Your dad will be back soon."

* * *

  
Rhys and Angel didn't see Jack for several hours. Angel pretended that it didn't bother her, but Rhys could see the glances she stole at his door every few minutes.  
  
Finally, the door burst open, and Jack entered the room, holding a tablet in his hand. Rhys quickly glanced over him, but he seemed to be unharmed; no cuts or bruises on his knuckles.  
  
He wondered if the room had fared as well as Jack.  
  
He doubted it.  
  
"Daddy!" Angel said immediately, jumping off the couch where she and Rhys had cuddled under a large blanket and running towards Jack, hesitating at the last moment. "Are you still mad, daddy?"  
  
"No, baby." Jack said, kneeling down and opening his arms to her. "Come'ere."  
  
Angel dove into his arms at once, her own arms wrapping around his neck. Jack held her tightly, trying for a moment to convey without words how sorry he was.  
  
"I'm sorry I upset you, daddy." Angel sniffled.  
  
"Don't apologize for that, baby. You did _nothing_ wrong." Jack insisted. "It's _my_ fault, baby. I never wanted you to think you had to do that. I'm so, so sorry, baby girl." He pressed a kiss to her head, smoothing her hair back. "And I'm sorry I walked out before."  
  
"It's okay. I know you don't like people around you when you're upset."  
  
"That's no excuse, baby girl. You're my daughter. I should never walk away before making sure you're okay, and that you know I'm not angry at you." Jack breathed deep through his nose, forcing away memories of his own childhood of hiding in crawlspaces, avoiding his grandmother's wrath over the simplest of things, and focused on comforting his daughter. "I could _never_ be angry at you, baby girl."  
  
"Daddy? What's that?" Angel asked after a few moments, jutting her chin at the tablet.  
  
"That is a contract, baby girl. You and I need to set some ground rules about your tech."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Read it and find out."  
  
"I, Handsome Jack, hereby vow to never try to take possession of any intellectual property created by or belonging to my daughter Angel, without her willing, un-coerced consent. Signed, Handsome Jack." Angel read aloud. She looked up at her father. "I don't understand."  
  
"I don't want you to work on something with all your heart and soul just to give it to me. Gortys is your baby, baby, and I would never take her away from you. And now..." He tapped the paper. "I legally can't."  
  
"Daddy-" Angel said, her eyes watering.  
  
"Hey. Don't cry, Come'ere." Jack said, enveloping his daughter in a hug once more. "Don't you think like that again, baby girl. You know I'd do anything for you."  
  
"I love you, daddy." Angel sniffled. "I'm sorry I upset you."  
  
"It's okay, baby girl. I love you too." He hoisted Angel into his arms, grunting a little and carrying her over to where Gortys sat in the middle of the carpet, setting her on her feet. "Now how can I help get this beautiful piece of machinery back to the way she was?"  
  
"We're almost done with the schematics. We're working on integrating the AI with the vault hunting protocols."  
  
"You _want_ to keep the vault hunting protocols?" Jack asked, surprised.  
  
"Yeah!" Angel chirped, striking a pose incredibly similar to the one her father made on every motivational poster around Helios. "One day, I'mma hunt vaults and run Hyperion, just like you, daddy!"  
  
"Oh, deposing me already? I see how it is." Jack said with a dramatic sniff, trying not to let how her words touched him show on his face. "That's fine, Rhys and I will just have to live on Eden-5 in the summer house. Or the house boat on Auquator. Whatever. Have fun dealing with the idiot brigade."  
  
"Jack..." Rhys admonished, smiling.  
  
"Nuh-uh! Rhys is gonna help _me_ be the best CEO ever!" Angel argued, the stern look in her eyes ruined by her wide toothy smile.  
  
"Now you're stealing _Rhys_?!" Jack squawked in outrage, even as he grinned. "You've gone too far, little girl!"  
  
"What're you gonna do about it, daddy?" Angel teased, darting behind Rhys' legs for protection. "Rhys, get him!"  
  
"Oh, no, don't you drag me into this." Rhys said, a laugh bubbling out of his chest as he stepped aside. "You started this, honey, now you gotta finish it."  
  
"Rhyyyyys!" Angel wailed, as Jack let out a roar of a battle cry and began chasing her around the apartment. She shrieked with laughter, and Jack let her evade him for a while before catching her, his hands tickling her until she howled, tears of mirth streaming down her face.  
  
And Rhys watched it all with a light heart, feeling like nothing could ruin this moment.

* * *

  
"Yvette, don't do this."  
  
Vaughn’s voice was tinny in Yvette's ear. Yvette frowned.  
  
"I _have_ to do this, Vaughn. He has to be stopped." She said, not for the first time.  
  
"But Rhys-"  
  
"It's too late for Rhys. He's already in too deep. He needs to see what kind of man Jack is."  
  
"But what about the girl? What about _Rhys_? He's our _friend_ , Yvette." The accountant said, and Yvette could hear the apprehension in his voice. Vaughn had been against the plan, but he hadn't stopped Yvette when she left the apartment, aside from a few token protests and this ECHO call.  
  
"He _was_ our friend." Yvette corrected. "I don't know _what_ he is now. I hope this will make him see reason."  
  
"Don't do this." Vaugh said. "He won't forgive you. _Don't_ _do_ _this_."  
  
"I have to." Yvette said, hanging up on Vaughn. She took a deep breath, then stepped forward, the doors sliding open automatically.  
  
"Well, well, well. Look what the skags dragged in." Hugo Vasquez sneered, smirking at Yvette. "To what do I owe the-"  
  
"Shut up, Vasquez." Yvette snapped, interrupting him coldly. "We need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed that chapter, cause its gonna be a bumpy ride for everyone from here on out. I just wanted to let everyone know that I will not be writing a sex scene for this fic, and have subsequently dropped the rating. Sorry if anyone is disappointed, but I will give my permission to anyone who wants to write one for this. As always, I love and appreciate every comment, kudo, and bookmark. You guys are the best!


	23. Chapter 23

"Thank you for coming, everyone." Angel said to the group assembled in the penthouse, a broad grin on her face as she surveyed everyone. "It's time to turn on Gortys for the very first time, and I really wanted her to meet everyone all at once."  
  
"We wouldn't miss this for the world, sweetpea." Maya said, and Angel beamed proudly at her.  
  
"Let's turn this little lady on and get this birthday party started." Jack said, and Rhys didn't think he'd ever seen Jack so happy and so proud.  
  
"Okay!" Angel said, pressing the large button on Gortys' casing with a flourish.  
  
The metal sphere began to whir loudly, and they all watched in awe as it slowly began to levitate.  
  
"Initiating Gortys startup sequence." An automated voice announced. "Energy chassis required for Vault hunting protocol."  
  
"What's an energy chassis, honey?" Rhys asked, curious.  
  
"It's an upgrade I started designing for when I am older, so that Gortys can help me find Vaults. I haven't finished it yet though, but the protocols are there."  
  
"No energy chassis found. Initiating companion protocols." The voice continued. Then... "Gortys...activated. Happy birthday." It added as an afterthought, as Gortys dropped to the ground, her head emerging from her round body a moment later.  
  
"Hi! How are you today?" The little robot said, her voice sweet and chipper.  
  
"Hi Gortys! I'm fine thank you, how are you?" Angel said, ever the polite one in the room, her mouth stretched wide in a proud smile.  
  
"Doing okay, myself." The little robot chirped, rolling around the room a bit. "Wow, there sure are a lot of people here!"  
  
"Yeah! This is my family, Gortys." Angel said, melting the hearts of everyone in the room. "Now they're your family, too."  
  
"Oh cool! I love big families!" The robot exclaimed, spinning around in a small circle. "It’s very nice to meet you all."  
  
"This is the freaking cutest robot I have ever seen." Nisha said in the most deadpan frank voice she could manage. Beside her, Wilhelm chuckled quietly under his breath, while Tim was trying and failing to contain his feelings on the matter, his hand over his mouth lest some embarrassing sound leak out. At the sound of her voice, Gortys turned on her, her little digital eyes widening.  
  
"Whoa! Cool cowboy hat!" Gortys said, rolling up to her. “What’s your name?”  
  
"Name’s Nisha, cutie.” Nisha said, plucking her hat off her head and placing it on Gortys’. “Here, it looks pretty good on you."  
  
Gortys' made a happy little trill, and moved on to Timothy, her robotic hands forming finger guns which she pointed at the doppelganger. “Stick ‘em up, partner!”

This time, Tim couldn’t hold back the humiliatingly high pitched noise he made. The little robot was just too cute. “Hi, Gortys.” He said, his voice strangled.

“Try to contain yourself, darling.” Aurelia whispered in his ear when Gortys moved on to the next person, paying each one a specific compliment.

“I can’t help it. She’s so cute I think I'm gonna throw up.” Tim hissed, color riding high in his cheeks. Angel beamed at his comment, and eventually led Gortys over to where Jack and Rhys were standing.  
  
"Gortys, this is my daddy, and my daddy's…partner, Rhys."  
  
"Hello! I have so much information about you stored in my memory banks, I feel like I know you already!"  
  
"Do you now?" Jack said, a smug smile stretching across his face, clearly eating this up. Gortys nodded while Rhys rolled his eyes. “All of it good info, I hope. Lots of flattering things to say?”

“Jack, please, try to contain your ego for a moment.” Rhys admonished, elbowing him lightly in the side. “This is about Angel.”

“Sure, sure, sure. But then again, this gorgeous little lady is the one who brought it up, so…” Jack waggled his eyebrows at Rhys, who sighed heavily even as he smiled.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“That’s fair.” Jack opened his mouth to inquire further about what Angel had programmed Gortys to know about him, but was interrupted by the chime of his ECHO.  
  
"Who in the _hell_ is calling me...oh." Jack said, seeing Moxxi's face pop up on the display. "One second, sweetheart. Daddy needs to take this." Jack said, trading a look with Rhys and mouthing the word 'Moxxi'. Rhys nodded and Jack gave him a grateful peck on the cheek as he passed him. "Be back in a second."  
  
With a silent look passed between them and a subtle tilt of his head, Rhys sent Nisha, Tim and Wilhelm after Jack. He refocused his attention on Angel and her little robot, acutely aware of the yawning pit of fear growing in his stomach.  
  
He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was on the way.  


* * *

  
"What the hell are you all doing in here?" Jack asked when the others entered his private office, a glass of whiskey in his right hand and the fingers of his left hovering over the ECHO.  
  
"Your better half told us to follow you." Nisha said, crossing her arms. "Kids got great instincts, I'm not gonna question them."  
  
Both Timothy and Wilhelm nodded in agreement, and Jack tried and failed to contain the sudden rush of affection for Rhys swelling up inside him.  
  
"Whatever. Moxxi's finally got information on those fucking assholes who tried to take Angel." Jack said gruffly, connecting the ECHO and sending it onto his computer screen, falling back into his chair with a grunt. Wordlessly, the others fell into place behind him, a wall of pure devoted badassery. It grounded Jack, and he fought the pleased smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.  
  
The smile that vanished the instant the call connected.  
  
"Well it's about _damn_ time you called back, asshole." Moxxi snapped.  
  
"Moxxi..." Jack breathed, horrified, reaching out to the screen as if he could reach through and touch her. "Mox, what happened to you?"  
  
Moxxi glared at Jack through her swollen black eye, a cold pack pressed against it but not having much effect. No amount of makeup could hide the injuries on her face, the bruises, the swelling, the cuts that looked like they came from broken glass. " _You_ people happened to me. I should have known helping you would land me in nothing but trouble."  
  
"Who did this to you?" Jack asked, and even though she betrayed him, even though he _hated_ her, he still wanted to slowly eviscerate whoever had done this to her.  
  
_Nobody_ fucked up Moxxi without his expressed permission.  
  
"Some nut job cult called the Children of the Vault."  
  
The glass in Jack's hand shattered explosively as his hand clenched into a fist. No one moved as crimson blood began dripping from Jack's fist.  
  
"The Children of the Vault?" Jack repeated, breathing hard, his voice low and deadly. "You're sure? You're _absolutely_ sure?"  
  
"I would remember the people who beat the shit out of me." She winced, a cut on her lip bleeding sluggishly, almost invisible against her lipstick. "Jack, Helios isn't safe. You've got to get her off that station immediately. They're coming for her."  
  
Before Jack could say another word, Moxxi ended the ECHO, feeling guiltier than she had ever had before. At least in a matter concerning Handsome Jack.  
  
"There. I did what you asked." Moxxi snapped, not looking up.  
  
"Yes. You did." The man in the shadows said, coming into the dingy light of the bar. The red and purple lights of the signs set the wrinkles on his face into dark shadows, making him look sinister...but not nearly as sinister as the shadows cast across the grotesque scarring that covered the entire right side of his face. The side of his mouth that still retained movement quirked upward. "Now smash it. Can't have him contacting you again for more information, can we?"  
  
She glared at him, dropping the ECHO to the floor and driving the point of her stiletto heel through the screen. The man grinned, his own ECHO connecting with a beep.  
  
"Yes, sir?" Said the voice on the other end.  
  
"Stand down from the garages. Madame Moxxi has performed her role admirably, and has earned her children's freedom."  
  
"Yes, father."  
  
"There. Your children are safe once more." The man sad with a sickly sweet smile. "Don't you worry, Madame Moxxi. Soon Angel will be back in the arms of her _real_ family."  
  
"You've doomed us all." Moxxi said as he walked away. "He's not going to stop until everyone on this planet is dead, and you're giving him the perfect justification. You've doomed this entire world."  
  
"No, my dear lady. I am _saving_ it."  


* * *

  
"She could be lying." Timothy said at last, breaking the heavy silence as Nisha wrapped Jack's bloody hand in bandages. "She's lied to us before."  
  
"Even old balloon tits isn't stupid enough to lie about this." Nisha said softly. "She knows what we'd do to her if anything ever happened to Angel."  
  
"But _no_ _one_ can break into Helios. It's the safest place in the galaxy."  
  
"Not necessarily." Wilhelm growled. "They've done it before, and we still don't know how they did it. For all we know, they can do it again."  
  
"How could she know about the Children of the Vault though?" Timothy asked. "There's no way she'd know anything about that, we killed them all. Besides, they were a _secret_ cult that we only know about because of-"  
  
"Don't say her fucking name." Jack snarled, the first words he'd spoken since Moxxi hung up.  
  
"I'm just saying..." Tim paused. "This is too important to do anything rash."  
  
"What do you want us to do, Jack?" Nisha asked, her hand on his cheek drawing his face up, his eyes connecting with hers. "How do you want to handle this?"  
  
"I..." Jack swallowed, praying he wasn't about to make a huge mistake. "As far as I know, Moxxi doesn't have any reason to put Angel in danger. Like you said, Nish, she's not stupid. As much as I hate her, as much as she hates me, she's not stupid." He grimaced. "We have to trust her."  
  
"But-"  
  
"If she's telling the truth, and Helios isn't safe, and _we have evidence that it isn't_ , then we have to make it safe. And we need Angel to be someplace we _know_ is safe."  
  
"Jack, are you sure-"  
  
"Yes." He interrupted, his voice sharp. "Go back to the party, don't let Angel know what's going on. We'll wait until later to tell the others."  
  
"Alright." Nisha said, getting to her feet. She paused when Jack made no move to stand. "Are you coming?"  
  
"You go. I...need a minute before I go out there."  
  
"Suit yourself." Wilhelm said, walking out with Tim and Nisha following close behind. Once the door shut behind them, Jack released the breath he had been holding, rubbing his hands across his face and through his hair.  
  
"God damn it all." He growled. He jumped when a knock sounded from the door.  
  
"I _said_ I'd be a minute-" Jack snarled, but his anger died on his tongue when Rhys opened the door.  
  
"Nisha and the others looked worried." Rhys offered as explanation, crossing the room and perching on the corner of Jack's desk, his gold and brown eyes both sympathetic and searching. "I take it Moxxi didn't have good news?"  
  
"No, kitten." Jack said, getting to his feet and staring to pace in front of his desk. "She didn't."  
  
"Okay." Rhys said, watching him carefully. "What do you need? How can I help?"  
  
"I don't..." Jack growled, raking his hand through his hair again, feeling like he was about to vibrate out of his skin. "God fucking damnit, I just..."  
  
"Hey." Rhys said, catching Jack's arm as he passed and gently pulling him into the space between his legs. "Tell me what you need from me."  
  
"Distract me."  
  
The words were out of his mouth before he had even registered them as a thought, but if Rhys was surprised, he didn't show it.  
  
"I can do that." Rhys said with a small smile, pulling Jack into a kiss. He wrapped his legs around Jack's waist, pulling him closer until there was no space left between their bodies. His lips coaxed Jack into forgetting his rage, his fear, his utter hopelessness in the face of a universe that seemed perversely attached to fucking him over, and soon he was kissing back with just as much enthusiasm, his hands gripping Rhys' narrow waist tightly. Rhys's hands were buried deep into Jack's thick hair, his fingers scraping against the older man's scalp, causing his hips to buck forward into Rhys'.  
  
When Rhys deemed Jack suitably distracted, he broke the kiss, his bee sting lips quirked upwards and his eyes dark and liquid. "Better?"  
  
"Much." Jack chuckled humorlessly, resting his forehead against Rhys'. "What would I do without you, babe?"  
  
"Let's hope you never have to find out..." Rhys replied, his lips brushing against Jack's with each word. " _Partner_."  


* * *

  
They gathered everyone into Jack's office, after leaving Angel to show Gortys around the sealed penthouse, promising that they would be back soon. The atmosphere was charged with leashed emotion, and everyone shifted nervously under the strain.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Maya asked, uneasy.  
  
"We have reason to believe that Helios isn't safe for Angel at the moment." Rhys said, Jack having brought him up to speed earlier. "Jack is sending Angel to his safe house on Eden-5 until we've eliminated the threat."  
  
"He's what?" Axton asked, shocked. Rhys ignored him.  
  
"Axton and Maya will accompany her-"  
  
"I'm going, too." Gaige interrupted, her face set.  
  
"No, you're not." Jack and Rhys said together.  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"No, _you're not_." Jack repeated, his voice firm. "You still have active warrants on all the Edens, and I can't risk you getting arrested-"  
  
"I know that system better than anyone. And I don't care about the warrants. Angel needs me." She stood up, her hands resting on her hips. "If you don't give me permission, I'm just going to stow away. You can't stop me."  
  
“Watch me.” Jack snapped, standing up as well. “You are not leaving this station.”

“I'm sorry, I thought I was here to avoid prison. Am I a prisoner or not, Jack?”

"Dammit Gaige, I promised I'd keep you safe! I'm not about to send you right into-"  
  
"She needs me! She's like my little sister, what else can I do?"  
  
"What am I supposed to tell your family if you get arrested, Gaige? That I let their daughter, who they trust me to keep safe, go right back to where she's most in danger?"  
  
"Axton and Maya won't let me get arrested, and I can protect Angel and keep her calm and distracted so she doesn't glow out."  
  
"Gaige-"  
  
"I'm sorry, Jack, but you won't change my mind on this. I'm going, too. That's final."  
  
"Jack..." Maya said, almost hesitant. "She has a point. She _does_ know the Eden system better than all of us. And the calmer we keep Angel, the safer she'll be."  
  
"She'd be a better asset _with_ us." Axton added carefully. "I'm not looking forward to trying to reign in Angel's powers. Between Maya and Gaige, she'll be calm and in great hands."  
  
"What do you think, kitten?" Jack asked, turning to Rhys, trying to gain some support. Rhys looked back at Jack, seeing the very real worry underneath the frown of irritation.  
  
"I..."  
  
" _Please_ , Rhys." Gaige pleaded, her eyes wide. "I _need_ to be there for her. She's like my little sister. Please."  
  
God, she reminded Rhys so much of both himself and his sisters. He never stood a chance against her.  
  
"...if it's safe enough for Angel, it should be safe for Gaige." Rhys said at last. "As much as I don't want to admit it, she'd be better off with them than here, and Angel will feel better with her around."  
  
"Dammit, Gaige." Jack growled, rubbing his forehead tiredly even as he admitted defeat. "When'd you learn how to be so stubborn?"  
  
"Since being around you, obviously." Gaige said, quietly. Jack looked up at her with a surprising amount of affection and pride under his annoyance, and Gaige quickly looked away. "So what is the plan, Rhys?"  
  
"Right." Rhys said, allowing Gaige to redirect the conversation. "Axton, Maya, and Gaige will accompany Angel to the safe house. The rest of us are going to find the threat and neutralize it as soon as possible." He glanced quickly at the rest, noting the grim determined looks on their faces. "When the threat has been taken care of, we'll send a transport to bring you guys back."  
  
"Are you sure this is the right course of action, darling?" Aurelia asked quietly, voicing the question on everyone's minds. "Is sending her away from where you can protect her-"  
  
"I can't protect her here. Helios isn't safe. They couldn't possibly know when we plan on moving her, or where we're moving her to." Jack said, his back ramrod straight in his chair. With his hand curled around the armrests of his chair, he looked the very picture of a king, surrounded by his court and about to go to war.  "I might not like it, but this is the safest course of action for Angel. And her safety trumps _everything_."  
  
"Jack-" Axton began, but silenced himself when Jack pinned him with a glare.  
  
"My decision is final. You leave at 0800 tomorrow. You better start packing."  
  
"...Yes, sir." Axton said at last, getting to his feet. Maya and Gaige followed suit.  
  
"I hope you know what you're doing, Jack." Maya muttered, putting an arm around the teen's shoulders and leading her out of the office, trailing behind Axton.  
  
"As for the rest of you..." Jack said. "Rest up. We're doing a deep clean of this station once they've left. Any holes in our security, I want them patched and reinforced with concrete. I want anyone who so much as thought about betraying me thrown off this station, and I want it all done as soon as possible. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Crystal, Jack." Timothy said, his face somber. "But what if we don't find anything?"  
  
"Then we look again, and _again_ , until we find them." Jack growled. "I will not have my baby's home be anything less than an impenetrable stronghold, _get_ _it_?"  
  
"We got it." Wilhelm growled. "Trust us to do our jobs, Jackie."  
  
"We won't let anything happen to Angel, Jack." Nisha said, her voice deadly serious. "After all..."  
  
"She's family."  
  
With that, everyone except for Rhys filed out, leaving a deafening silence behind them.  
  
"Jack?" Rhys asked once everyone had left the office. "Are you alright?"  
  
"How did this happen?" Jack asked, and the dead and broken sound of his voice had Rhys in motion instantly, walking to where Jack sat in his chair, his throne, staring out at Elpis.  
  
"It's not your fault."  
  
"It _is_ my fault. It's my fault that they're still alive, because I didn't make sure they were dead."  
  
"You couldn't have known, and you had to get Angel to safety." Rhys insisted, falling gracefully to his knees at Jack's side. Carefully, he lifted one of Jack's clenched hands, entwining his fingers with Jack's and kissing his knuckles. "It's not your fault, handsome."  
  
Jack looked at Rhys' face, the material of his mask bathed in sick purple light. "You really believe that, don't ya, babe?"  
  
"Of course." Rhys said with just a hint of a smile. "I always believe in you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter for all that celebrate it! i hope you enjoyed the chapter, I made it extra long just for you guys, because you are the greatest and I appreciate you all very much!  
> Lots of love!


	24. Chapter 24

"I think I have to tell her the truth."  
  
Rhys didn't say anything, and kept his eyes fixed on the elevator panel, as the numbers climbed steadily higher. He felt Jack’s explosive sigh as the older man moved to stand next to him, his shoulder brushing Rhys’ human arm.  
  
"I have to tell Angel about what _really_ happened to her mother." Jack clarified. Rhys glanced at Jack, who looked more resigned than anything else.  
  
"Are you sure?" He asked at last, choosing his words carefully. "You may not like the reaction you get."  
  
"I don't care. If something happens-"  
  
"Nothing is going to-"  
  
"In the _unlikely_ event that something happens, I can't have her...she can't learn the truth from someone else. It has to come from me."  
  
"What if-"  
  
"She can handle it. She's _my_ daughter." Jack said, that undercurrent of pride overriding his unease.  
  
"Can you?" Rhys asked. "Can _you_ handle it?"  
  
"...I guess we'll find out." Jack said grimly as the elevator slowed to a stop. "Felicity, open the penthouse."  
  
"Yes, sir. Shall I wake Angel for you?"  
  
"No need." Rhys said. At Jack’s questioning look, Rhys sighed. "Odds are, she's on the couch waiting for us to come home. She'll wake up when the hydraulics go off."  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"...I have experience being on the other side of this scenario." Rhys said quietly.  
  
Sure enough, when the door finally opened, Angel was sitting upright on the couch, a blanket thrown around her shoulders, Butt stallion and a few other toys tucked beside her, Gortys charging peacefully beside her. Rhys had to suppress a smile when he saw that Gortys too had her own assortment of toys and blankets. She rubbed her eyes as the two men entered, clearly having just woken.  
  
"Hi, daddy. Hi, Rhys." She yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "What time is it?"  
  
"That doesn't matter." Jack said. Something in his voice made Angel look up at him, her brow furrowing slightly.  
  
"Is something wrong, daddy?"  
  
"Actually...yes, baby." Jack said. Angel frowned. "You're...you're going on a little trip, sweetheart."  
  
"I'm _what_?"  
  
"Just for a little while. You get to go see the house on Eden-5, you know, the one with the lab that we designed together, remember?"  
  
"Oh. Okay." Angel said, wary but intrigued. "When do we leave? Is Rhys coming with us?"  
  
"...No, baby. Rhys and I aren't coming with you. You'll be going...without us."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's...complicated, baby. There's a...situation and-"  
  
"Are you sending me away?"  
  
"What? _No_!" Jack squawked, appalled.  
  
"You _are_! You're sending me away because of what I did!" Angel said, her voice getting higher with each word. "I didn't mean to use my powers in front of people, daddy!"  
  
"Sweetheart, that's not why-"  
  
"Don't send me away, daddy, please! I promise I'll do better, I won't lose control anymore, just don't send me away!" Angel cried, her tattoos flickering under the sleeve of her pajamas. "I'll be good, I swear just please don't send me away, please!"  
  
"Angel! Look at me."  
  
"Daddy, _please_ -"  
  
"ANGEL! Listen to me." Jack shouted, shocking Angel into silence. Her father never raised his voice to her, _ever_.  
  
"I am _not_ sending you away. Okay? That's the first thing." Jack said, his voice hard. "You know I would never, _ever_ send you away from me no matter what you did, right?" Angel was silent. " _Angel_."  
  
"Not even if I blew up the entire robotics division?" Angel said, her voice wet with tears. Jack laughed, a strained sound.  
  
"Are you kidding, I'd be glad to get rid of those idiots, you'd be doing me a favor there." Angel giggled, a wobbly smile stretching her face. "But no, not even then, baby girl."  
  
"Then why-"  
  
"I have to protect you." Jack said, and there was something in her father’s voice, Rhys could hear it, a deep, soul crushing pain, a fear that silenced even Angel's arguments for the moment. He glanced at Jack, seeing the shaking in Jack's hands, clenched at his sides. "Do you understand? I _have_ to protect you. You are the person I love most in this entire universe, baby. You’re all I’ve got, and I _need_ to keep you safe, and right now, I can't do that. I don't know how. And that _terrifies_ me." Jack's hands were starting to shake even harder, and Rhys put a comforting hand on his shoulder, pulling him back from the edge of whatever he was feeling. Angel noticed the action, and she looked between her father and Rhys with concern in her eyes.  
  
"Daddy?" She asked, wriggling off the couch and approaching him slowly. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm...I'm..." Jack breathed heavily, his hands tightening into white knuckled fists.  
  
"Daddy?" Angel asked, worried. She closed the distance between them, her arms carefully wrapping around his legs. "It's okay, daddy." She said. "I'm here. I'm here with you, daddy. Rhys is here, too. We're okay."  
  
A wounded sound left Jack's throat, and he dropped to his knees, his arms wrapping around his daughter tightly. Rhys attempted to step away, to let the two of them have this moment together, but Angel reached out a hand and grabbed at his pant leg, keeping him close.  
  
"I...haven't been totally honest with you, baby girl." Jack said haltingly. Angel stared at him, her eyes wide and confused.  
  
"What do you mean, daddy?"  
  
"I need to tell you about your mother. About...how she died."

* * *

  
"Angel?" Rhys asked, once Jack had finished his tale. She was silent, her face blank as she stared at her father for a long moment before backing away, turning towards the couch and climbing on top, reaching for Butt Stallion.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me, daddy?" Angel asked quietly, ignoring Rhys. She kept her head down, her eyes shadowed as she looked at Butt Stallion’s stuffed face.  
  
"I didn't want you to...hate me."  
  
"Well, I don't. Not for that, anyway."  
  
"Really?" Jack said, hopeful. Angel finally looked up, and Rhys was shocked at the glare Angel leveled at her father.  
  
"No." Angel snapped, and to both Jack and Rhys' horror, the tattoos under the left sleeve of her dress began to glow. "What I _hate_ is that you made me care about...you made me miss and try to _love_ someone who didn't care about me at all!" Angel said, her eyes flashing fire as small objects began to gently float upward, as if Helios’ gravity controls had failed.  
  
"Angel..."  
  
"You built her up to be this great person that you _loved_ , and I felt bad because I didn't...I couldn't ever love her like that because I never even knew her! And all this time she was a _monster_ who tried to kill me? Who tried to take me away from my home and give me to people who only wanted to _use_ me? How is that _better_?" Bigger objects began floating upwards, and even Rhys was starting to feel a little lighter. "How, daddy?"  
  
"Angel, calm down-"  
  
"I don't _want_ to calm down! I want..." She sobbed a bit, a tear falling onto Butt Stallion’s snout. "I want to get back all those times I _cried_ because I didn't feel anything for a woman I barely knew and you apparently _hated_! Why would you lie to me about this?"  
  
"I...I'm sorry." Jack said, and Rhys never wanted to hear that self-loathing note in Jack's voice ever again. He would take all the smugness, and arrogance, and rage and violence before he wanted to hear that again. "I shouldn't have lied to you. Please don't cry."  
  
"You _should_ be sorry." Angel snapped, and Jack flinched as if struck. After an endless moment, she sighed, and then gravity reasserted itself. Glass shattered, wood splintered, and Rhys almost lost his balance as everything came crashing back down. She marched over to her father, hugging him around his neck and grumbling. "But I still love you."  
  
"...I love you too, baby." Jack said, his tone filled with wonderment, his arms slowly enveloping his daughter once more, holding her as tightly as he dared. "I love you so, so much, my beautiful baby girl. I didn't mean to hurt you. I never want to hurt you."  
  
"I know." Angel said, her voice muffled by Jack's shoulder. "You always protect me, daddy. Even from things like this." She sighed. "Do I really have to go? Can't I stay with you and Rhys? Why do you have to send me away?"  
  
"I'm not sending you away. I would never do that."  
  
"Daddy-"  
  
"You won't be alone." Rhys said, speaking for the first time in a while, his voice slightly hoarse from emotion and disuse. "Axton, Maya, and Gaige are going with you. They'll watch over you and keep you safe."  
  
"But daddy, Gaige can't leave. She'll be arrested." Angel said, her eyes frantic as she looked at her father. "You can't make her go-"  
  
"She wanted to go with you. She wouldn't take no for an answer."  
  
"But daddy-"  
  
"If I can't be there for you, then I will send whoever else I can with you." Jack said. He cupped Angel's face, rubbing away the tear tracks with his thumb. "I'm sorry, baby girl." He said, pressing his forehead against hers. "I'm so, so sorry I can't be there for you, baby."  
  
"Daddy..."  
  
"I will do anything to protect you, baby girl." Jack said, his eyes bright with leashed fire. "You know I would scorch every planet in the universe before I let anything happen to you."  
  
Angel sighed, hugging her father around the neck once more. "That's what I'm afraid of." She whispered under her breath.

* * *

  
"You did the right thing." Rhys whispered, trying not to disturb the little girl sleeping between himself and Jack. He turned on his side, his night vision turning on in a blink. Jack laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling with his arm curling around Angel.  
  
"I know I did." Jack replied, curt but equally quiet. He rose suddenly, moving smoothly and hardly jostling the bed in the process. "I'm gonna get some air."  
  
"Jack-"  
  
"Stay with her. I'll be fine." Jack ordered, slipping silently through the door and out of sight.  
  
"Dammit, Jack." Rhys sighed, flopping on his back.  
  
"Rhys?"  
  
Rhys jolted, his eyes focusing on Angel's, their bright blue color almost glowing in the semi-darkness. "Something wrong, honey?" He asked, smoothing her hair back. "Your dad will be back in a min-"  
  
"I'm scared." She whispered to Rhys, low enough so he had to strain to hear her. He silenced himself, allowing the silence to stretch as he thought about how to respond.  
  
"I know, honey. I know. But you're safe, and tomorrow you'll be someplace where they can't-"  
  
"I'm scared of what this will do to daddy." Angel clarified, interrupting him once more. "Is this what my life is going to be like? Shuttling me off to safe houses every time someone finds out about me? How am I going to get to hunt Vaults like Maya or run Hyperion like daddy? How can I have adventures if I always have to hide?"  
  
"He...he only wants what's best for you, honey." Rhys said, the words sounding empty and he knew it. "But once you're older, once you've learned how to use your powers and defend yourself, it won't be like this."  
  
"I'm not scared of bandits or baddies."  
  
"You're not?" He asked, settling himself at her eye level.  
  
"No. Daddy will _always_ protect me from that stuff." She said, with such conviction that Rhys smiled. "But daddy would never get over if I get hurt, or killed." She picked at the corner of the pillowcase, her jaw tight. "He loves me too much."  
  
"'You're probably right." Rhys said under his breath.  
  
"And that's not ever going to change. He's always going to love me too much."  
  
"...it's different when you're small." Rhys said at last, thinking back to his own zealous protection of his sisters, a devotion that had almost destroyed all three of them. "When you're small, the people who love you feel like they need to do everything to keep you from harm, even to the point where you feel like nothing exciting could ever happen to you."  
  
"Does that go away?"  
  
"...no." Rhys said at last, being honest with her and with himself. "You will always be his baby girl." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "But one day, you're going to be everything you ever wanted to be, Angel. You're going to have the chance to have adventures, or rule Hyperion if that’s what you want. And your father is going to be so proud of you when you do."  
  
"Are you going to be proud of me?" She asked quietly, leaning into his touch. Rhys smiled, his heart melting.  
  
"Of course I will. I'm already proud of you. You're going to be great, Angel."  
  
"If something bad ever happens to me, you'd take care of Daddy, wouldn't you, Rhys?" Angel asked.  
  
"Nothing bad is ever going to happen to you on our watch, honey." Rhys said fiercely, pressing a kiss against her hair. "And I'll always be here to take care of you _and_ your dad."  
  
"You promise?"  
  
"I promise."

* * *

  
"Jack?" Rhys whispered into the darkness. Jack didn't so much as twitch. Rhys sighed, stepping further into the room. "Come to bed, Jack."  
  
"Can't sleep." Jack grunted, not looking at Rhys. "You go. Be with her."  
  
"Jack, the guards are outside _every_ elevator bank, there's _three_ different kinds of unhackable locks on the door, and Felicity is actively running scans every _fifteen_ seconds. No one is getting in here. And tomorrow, she'll be on her way to Eden-5 where she will be safe until we neutralize the threat." He walked over to the chair that Jack had set up facing the door, his cybernetic hand gently prying the assault rifle from his hands. "She’s _safe_."  
  
"No, she's not." Jack growled, his bloodshot, tired eyes not leaving the door. "She won't be safe until those bastards are dead."  
  
"She is safe for tonight, Jack. You can start hunting them in the morning. Come to bed."  
  
"Rhys..."  
  
"You can stay up all night glowering intimidatingly just as well in the bedroom, Jack." Rhys said, frustrated. "But I can't sleep knowing you're out here blaming yourself for things that aren't your fault. So please," Rhys straddled Jack's lap, framing his sharp jaw with his hands and blocking his view of the door. "Come. To. Bed."  
  
"Rhys..."  
  
"You've protected her. She's _safe_. You can sleep tonight so you can protect her again tomorrow." Rhys said, his fingers delving into Jack's thick hair, lacing together behind his head. " _Please_." He felt Jack's hesitation. "We can't sleep with you out here."  
  
"...Alright, Rhysie." Jack said, his hands settling on Rhys' waist. "You win." He pressed a quick kiss to Rhys' lips. "But I'm bringing the gun."  
  
“How about…” Rhys said, brushing his nose against Jack’s, his lips a breath away from Jack’s mouth. "You can bring a smaller gun and leave it by the door."  
  
Jack chuckled, pulling Rhys into a proper kiss. "Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY Y'ALL! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and y'all might want to strap in tight.
> 
> Here's where things get rough, folks.
> 
> As always, I am sustained entirely on your comments and kudos, and I hope you all had a safe April Fool's day!


	25. Chapter 25

"Daddy, I don't want to go." Angel said for the hundredth time, clutching Butt Stallion so tight to her chest that Rhys was afraid its head would pop off right there in the deserted aircraft hangar. "Please, daddy. It doesn't feel right."  
  
"I had Felicity scan this thing top to bottom, _nothing_ is going to happen." Jack said, forcing the words past his tight throat. "You'll be fine, baby girl. You’ve got Maya and Axton and Gaige."  
  
"And me!" The little robot said, twirling on her supports.  
  
"And Gortys." Jack added with a small smile.  
  
"But what about you and Rhys, daddy? If it isn't safe here, then why aren't you coming with me?"  
  
"Daddy has to stay here and take care of the problem so you can come home."  
  
"But daddy, what if something happens?"  
  
" _Nothing_ is going to happen. In all likelihood, this will be the most boring vacation in recorded history, because it will be over so soon."  
  
"Daddy-"  
  
"Come on, no more stalling." He said, no heat in his admonishment at all. He held out his arms to her. "Give your daddy one last hug before you go, baby girl."  
  
She hesitated, then dove into his arms, squeezing him so tightly that Jack swore his ribs creaked. "You'll be careful?"  
  
"I'll be careful." He murmured, holding her just as tightly. "I love you so, so much, baby. I'll see you soon."  
  
"Bye, daddy." Angel sniffled, letting him go after another long moment. She looked up at Rhys, who immediately opened his arms for a hug of his own. "Take care of daddy." She whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek.  
  
"I will. Be good." He replied, letting her go reluctantly. She turned towards the ship, taking Gortys' hand as the robot led her on the shuttle. Jack let out a ragged breath, meeting Maya and Axton's eyes squarely.  
  
"Guard her with your lives." Jack said, his voice solemn.  
  
"We won't let her out of our sight." Axton said, saluting Jack.  
  
"She'll be safe with us." Maya added, her hands flexing at her sides.  
  
"Gaige." Rhys said, drawing the teenager aside while Jack reviewed some last minute safety precautions with the two adults. "Listen-"  
  
"Yes, I know, don't draw attention to myself, don't leave Angel's side, don't get arrested-" Gaige recited, trying to seem glib and falling short.  
  
Rhys interrupted her with a hug. "Come home soon. Helios wouldn't be the same without you."  
  
Gaige stood still for a moment, then returned the hug tightly, her body shaking slightly.  
  
"I'm really glad Jack found you, Rhys." She said, her voice muffled by his shirt. "I've always wanted a big brother."  
  
Rhys didn't have an answer that didn't involve a few tears on his part, so he just squeezed her tighter.  


* * *

  
"This is hell." Jack said as the ship began its startup sequence, the thrusters beginning to whir.  
  
"I know." Rhys replied.  
  
"Getting my face burned off had nothing on this." He added as the ship began to rise. They backed up slowly, watching the craft float gently out of the hangar and past the oxygen shields.  
  
"You're doing the right thing." Rhys said when they could hear each other again, neither willing to walk away just yet.  
  
"Then why does it feel wrong?"  
  
"Jack, it's going to be okay-" Rhys began, but was interrupted by a chime from his ECHO. "Have you found anything yet?" He asked as soon as it connected, his eyes still on the ship.  
  
"Rhys."  
  
"Vaughn?" Rhys asked, finally turning his back on the sight of the shuttle getting smaller with every second. "Hey, bro, now's not really the best time, can I call you ba-"  
  
"I tried to stop her, Rhys."  
  
"What?" Rhys asked, feeling like he had just fallen down a flight of stairs. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I tried to stop her. But she wouldn't listen to me. She said she had to do it, that Jack couldn't be allowed to have that much power..."  
  
"Vaughn." Rhys said, his blood running cold. "What did Yvette do?"  
  
"She told someone. About Jack's daughter."  
  
_No_.  
  
" _Who_? Who did she tell?" Rhys asked, his heart beating out of his chest. This...oh god, please let this be a dream, a horrible-stress induced nightmare that he can wake up from soon...  
  
"She told Vasquez about her, and he put two and two together about the sudden emergency shuttle. Said someone was paying him _millions_ to know where and when they were going. I'm sorry."  
  
Rhys paled, whirling on Jack in the next instant. "Get them back."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Call the shuttle and tell them to turn around _right_ _fucking_ _now_."  
  
"Rhys, what the hell are-"  
  
"Jack, listen to me. Get. Them. BACK! She's not safe, they _know_!"  
  
"What do you mean? Who knows, what-"  
  
"SIR! There's been a security breach on Angel's shuttle!" Felicity said, and Rhys had never heard the AI sound so frightened. "Sir, the cabin is being filled with isoflurane gas, and the autopilot is following an entirely new flight plan. No one is answering their ECHOs. It's heading for Pandora, sir."  
  
"WHAT?!" Jack shouted, lurching forwards as if he could run after the shuttle, now thousands of miles away. " _Do_ _something_!"  
  
"Attempting to patch in to the onboard computer now, but whatever's in control of the ship is very advanced. It might take me a few minutes."  
  
"I'm sorry, Rhys." Vaughn said, his voice sounding as far away as the shuttle now heading towards the most dangerous planet in the galaxy. "I have to leave Helios. There's no way Jack is going to let me live now, not even if you ask him to. I'm heading to Pandora, starting a new life. maybe we'll run into each other someday."  
  
"Vaughn, wait, don't do anything stupid." Rhys said, desperate. This couldn't be happening. Not again. "You can help me find her, you can come back from this, please _don't_ -"  
  
"Goodbye, bro."  
  
"Vaughn? VAUGHN!" Rhys shouted, but the line was already dead.  
  
"Got it!" Felicity crowed. "Patching in to the cabin comm system now."  
  
"Where are we on _turning the fucking ship around_?" Jack shouted, his voice raw and desperate.  
  
"I...I can't regain control of navigation, sir. Not without help from inside the shuttle."  
  
"Dammit, dammit, _dammit_ -"  
  
"Uh, Mr. Jack? Rhys?" Gortys' voice said over the comms. "What's going on? Why did everyone fall asleep?"  
  
"Are they alive, Gortys?" Rhys asked, instincts taking over when Jack seemed frozen.  
  
+"Scans indicate...yes, yes they are!" Gortys said, relieved. "What's happening?"  
  
"Listen to me, Gortys. Can you get to the cockpit?"  
  
"I can try!" Gortys said, determinedly. There was the sound of several grunts of effort, before an exclamation of triumph.  
  
"I'm here! Can you still hear me?"  
  
"Yes, we can hear you, Gortys. I need you to find what's causing the override." Rhys said, his fists clenching and unclenching sporadically. Why hadn’t he seen this coming, why had he let this happen?  
  
"Uh...hmm...uh...oh!" Gortys said. The shuttle was only a faint black dot against the glow of Pandora. "That...that doesn't look nice."  
  
"What, Gortys? Tell me what you see." Rhys said, frantic.  
  
"It's kind of...weird and purple? It has this...this icky glow around it, it's making the whole nav panel look...sick?"  
  
"It's infecting the panel?" Rhys repeated, horrified. His mind flashed back to the gun the assassin had smuggled into Helios, with its sick purple glow that Gladstone had not been able to make sense of. He remembered how queasy the mere sight of the gun had made him, how even thinking of touching it had made his skin crawl.

It couldn’t be a coincidence.  
  
"I guess? Do you want me to try to get it off?"  
  
"DONT TOUCH IT!" Rhys shouted. "It could infect you, too!"  
  
"Then…what should I do?" Gortys asked, trying to make herself heard over the now blaring cockpit alarms.  
  
"The shuttle has broken through Pandora’s atmosphere, the ship has sustained minor damage. We're losing the signal." Felicity warned. Rhys swallowed.

There was no way they could turn the ship around.  
  
They would have to follow after.  
  
"I need you to keep Angel safe. Don't you leave her side for a second, do whatever you have to do, you understand?" Rhys ordered, his voice breaking slightly.  
  
"Okay! But from what?"  
  
"From whatever's waiting for you on Pandora." Rhys answered.  
  
"Rhys?" Gortys said, her voice distorted with static. "Rhys, I can’t…having…hearing you-"  
  
"Take care of our girl, Gortys. Tell her we're on our way, and we're gonna bring her home."  
  
"Rhy-" The connection was cut short with a rush of static.  
  
"The shuttle has reached Pandora, sir. Without a pilot, they...they've crash landed." Felicity said quietly.  
  
"No. No, no, no, NO!" Jack roared, sending the ECHO sailing into the wall with enough force to shatter it on impact. "I'll KILL THEM! ILL FUCKING KILL THEM ALL AND STRING THEIR FUCKING CORPSES ON ELECTRIC WIRES!" He began destroying everything in his sight, keeping just enough presence of mind to avoid hurting Rhys, who without a specific crisis at hand, was frozen where he stood, his eyes wide and unseeing as he tried to process what had happened.  
  
"Fucking-" Jack panted, kicking at a crate and sending an assortment of flyers sailing all over the hangar floor. "Signs of life?"  
  
"All trackers are being jammed. Gortys is no longer responding to hails. I have no idea what's going on. But they knocked them out instead of killing them. We have to assume-"  
  
"They wanted her alive." Jack finished, his hands clenched tight. "When I find who did this-"  
  
"I'm sorry, Jack." Rhys said faintly, bracing himself for Jack's fury. "This is my fault. I should have..." He swallowed hard past the bile in his throat. "It was one of my friends who tipped them off. You were right. I shouldn't have trusted her."  
  
“Your _friend_?"  
  
"One of my closest friends. My only friends. The one’s I begged you to spare when they saw Angel’s powers.” Rhys clarified, feeling sick. “But Angel's safety should have come first, should always come first. I...I should have listened to you."  
  
" _Yes_. You fucking should have." Jack snapped, and Rhys flinched as if burned. “How could you have been so fucking STUPID?” He roared, and an Oz kit went sailing past Rhys’ ear.

Rhys inhaled sharply, his heart throbbing painfully in his chest. For the first time, he was on the receiving end of Jack’s unbridled rage. There was no warmth in the CEO’s voice, no shred of forgiveness. Just anger, and pain, and a despair so crushing Rhys feared for the entire station.  
  
"No, wait.” Jack said, but the damage had already been done. He approached Rhys slowly, seeing how the cybernetic man had begun to shake. “Fuck, I...I didn't..."  
  
"It's okay, Jack. I deserve it." Rhys said, breathing against the shrapnel shards of his broken heart. Jack would never trust him again after this, but he could...he _would_ handle that later. Right now, all that mattered was getting Angel back. Safe.  
  
"Rhys-"  
  
"It's fine." Rhys said tonelessly, turning to walk back towards the hangar doors. Don't think. Just focus on the problems at hand. Don't think. Don't _feel_. "We need to move quickly. Every second counts. Head back to your office, I’ll round up the others and send them up."  
  
"Rhys-" Jack tried again, reaching for the cybernetic man's arm, only to be viciously shrugged off.  
  
"Jack, you can strangle me or shoot me or whatever you want once we have Angel back, but right now, we need to focus on Angel." Rhys said, and he was impressed with his cool exterior even as he broke inside.  
  
Nothing mattered but Angel.  
  
Not even the loss of Jack's love.  


* * *

  
"How did this happen?" Timothy asked, numbly, standing shell shocked as Rhys told him and Aurelia the news. "How-"  
  
"It's my fault. One of my friends...betrayed me."  
  
"Shit, really?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are you sure, darling?" Aurelia asked, her gloved hands gentle on Rhys' shoulder before he shrugged her off.  
  
"Quite sure." Rhys snapped, turning on his heel and heading towards the elevator bank. "Felicity, fast track an elevator to us. Where's Wilhelm?" He asked the vault hunters flanking him.  
  
"On his way, he was combing through the sub level-" Timothy began.  
  
"Tell him to pick up Hugo Vasquez, V.P. of Sales in sector three on his way."  
  
"He our mole?" Timothy asked, already dialing his ECHO.  
  
"No. He's just the middleman. My...the _real_ mole is already in the wind. She'd be long gone by now." Rhys set his jaw against the surge of guilt as they entered the elevator, the floors flying past while Timothy brought Wilhelm up to speed. "Jack's already in his office, combing through security with Nisha trying to figure out how I missed this."  
  
"You mean how _we_ missed this." Aurelia corrected. Rhys didn't say anything. "Rhys, darling, this isn't your fault. I'm sure Jack doesn't think-"  
  
"Yes, it is. And yes, he does." Rhys said quietly as the doors opened. There was a pang in his chest as he passed Maya's empty desk, and the guilt threatened to overtake him again.  
  
"Rhys-" Aurelia said soothingly, and Rhys knew she was trying to help. He knew the stakes, knew that nothing good could come from having his attention split between blaming himself and finding a solution.  
  
But if he stopped to deal with this now, he'd never go back to being even somewhat functional. The spider web of cracks around his heart would break with the smallest of taps, and he'd never tape it back together. _Not_ _again_.  
  
"It's fine." Rhys snapped, heading into the office without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAANNND we're off to the races! :D Don't panic, dear readers, updates should come at least once a week from now to the end. As always, reviews and kudos soothe my fluttering heart and lift my spirits!


	26. Chapter 26

"Felicity, how the fuck did you not know about what's-her-name’s plans?" Jack was shouting as he paced the length of his office. "This is practically your entire reason for existing-"  
  
"I don't know what happened! My scans indicated that they had already left Helios days ago!" Felicity said, her voice high and desperate. "Sir, you know I would _never_ withhold information regarding Angel's safety, I-"  
  
"We should review your code, Felicity." Rhys said as he entered the room, carefully not looking at Jack. "You might have been slipped a virus, or maybe whatever tech they've got that took over the shuttle got to you, too."  
  
"Which would definitely not be your fault, Felicity." Timothy said.  
  
"Of course it's my fault, I'm supposed to protect her, watch over her, and I-" a rush of crackling static that somehow sounded like a sob erupted from every speaker in the room. "I failed her! I should have been scrapped into that constructor-"  
  
"Felicity."  
  
"...yes, sir?" Felicity responded hesitantly.  
  
"It's not your fault." Jack said, staring at the lines of code on his screen.  
  
"It's not?"  
  
"No." Jack said curtly. "This is why you couldn't see them." Jack said, throwing the screenshot of code onto the monitor. Nisha leaned forward, her mouth falling open in shock.  
  
"Holy fuck. Angel did this." She said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Somehow, my daughter implemented a line of code that says, ‘If Felicity can't see them, then daddy can't order her to kill them. So Felicity can't see Rhys' friends. They'll be safe.'"  
  
The room swam in front of Rhys' eyes, and he reached out a hand to steady himself against his desk. No, _no_...  
  
"So Angel...made it so Rhys' friends could escape, after they saw her go super siren?" Timothy asked.  
  
God, he had screwed up _so bad_ , it was a wonder his head was even attached right now. Forget Jack killing him, after he had her back, Rhys was going to space himself for sheer incompetence. How could he have been so stupid, so _naïve_ to trust them with something as important as Angel's safety?  
  
"Everyone out." Jack said at last. No one moved until Rhys shifted minutely, freezing when Jack jabbed a finger in his direction. "Not. You."  
  
"Jack, it's not his fault-"  
  
"I SAID OUT!" Jack roared, slamming his hand on his desk. "Get as much gear as you can strap on your back and wait for my orders. We are getting my daughter back."  
  
The room cleared out gradually, with Timothy and Aurelia moving as slow as possible. They finally left when Jack threatened to bodily throw them out, leaving Rhys and Jack alone in the massive silent office.  
  
"Well?" Rhys asked after several agonizing minutes, his back to Jack as he looked around the office, wondering who Jack would replace him with. "What are you waiting for?"  
  
Maybe he'd have better luck with the next guy. Or girl. Or...whatever.  
  
"Aren't you gonna beg me to spare you or something?"  
  
"No." Rhys said immediately, looking down at his right arm, thinking about all of the money Jack had wasted on it, on keeping him alive. Maybe if he had just died at Vallory's hands on Pandora, Angel would still be safe.  
  
A lot of people would have been better off if he had had the sense to die earlier. It wasn't like the universe hadn't given him enough chances to do so.  
  
"Why the hell not?"  
  
"You don't need me to help you save her." He answered honestly. He wondered if they could recycle his arm once he was dead, or if it was so keyed to him that they'd have to scrap it entirely. He hoped they could save it; it was a great design, and Angel's first foray into cybernetic prosthetics.  
  
He hoped it wouldn't be her last because of him.  
  
"You've already got Vasquez, you can get the info out of him pretty easily. I failed in a spectacularly epic way, and I've seen you kill people for far less."  
  
"You don't seem...bothered."  
  
"Like I said, it's not like this is a shock. I mean...part of it, yes, I didn't expect to be betrayed today, but you...You'll always act in Angel's best interests. I...didn't." He bit out, feeling like the self-loathing guilt in his heart was going to swallow him whole. "No one is left to miss me anyway-"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
He snapped his mouth shut, closing his eyes and squaring his shoulders, ready for whatever end Jack had decided on.  
  
"Rhys. Look at me."  
  
"If I can have a last request, I'd rather not have to stare down the barrel of the gun while the man I love pulls the trigger, thanks."  
  
"Damnit Rhys, look at me!" Jack shouted, forcibly turning Rhys to face him. "Rhys!"  
  
"Jack, it's okay, I understand-" Rhys began, but Jack merely crushed his mouth against his, silencing him. Rhys froze, his hands clenched at his sides, his whole body tense as he resisted the pull of Jack's lips, the warm flush rushing through him as Jack cupped his face, desperate, yet almost tender.  
  
It wasn't what he had expected. It certainly didn't _feel_ like a last kiss.  
  
Then again, how would he know?  
  
"How could she do that to you, of all people?" Jack asked when they broke apart, and Rhys flinched as if struck. His voice was soft, full of pain, but no hate, no fiery rage. His hands were gentle on Rhys' face, gentler than they'd ever been. It was almost as if...Jack was trying to comfort him.  
  
"I don't..." Rhys swallowed, trying to keep his voice from breaking. "I don't know why it hurts so much. I've worked for Hyperion for years. I should be used to betrayal by now."  
  
"Because you weren't just betrayed, Rhysie." Jack murmured, his hands big and warm against Rhys' neck. "You were betrayed by people you love, and that hurts more than anything."  
  
"She... _they_ were my family. The only family I had left." And fuck, those were tears, damnit, he was not going to cry in front of Jack, he wasn't-  
  
"Oh, _Rhysie_..." Jack said, and suddenly Jack was embracing him, and the feel of his arms around Rhys broke down whatever was holding the tears back. He clutched at the back of Jack's jacket, shaking with the force of staying quiet as tears streamed from his one good eye.  
  
"It'll be okay, Rhysie." Jack said, rubbing the sobbing man's back as he held him. "It stops hurting so much eventually."  
  
"When?" Rhys asked. "When does it stop hurting?"  
  
"When you find something better." He said. "Like what you, me and Angel have."  
  
"You...you mean that?" Rhys mumbled. "I thought..."  
  
"You thought one mistake could erase everything you've done for her, everything you've given us?" Jack chided, pressing his forehead against Rhys'. "You seriously underestimate how much we love you."  
  
"You...do? Even after-"  
  
"Course I do. Angel loves you. I...I love you." He said haltingly. He pressed his lips against Rhys’ forehead, his temple, the corner of his mouth. "We’ll get her back, babe. All of us will get her back, and when we do, I..."  
  
"Jack?"  
  
"You matter, Rhysie. You matter to me, and you belong with us." He brought Rhys’ shining silver hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss against the knuckles. "You belong with me."  
  
"...okay."

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jack asked, eyeing Vasquez through the one-way glass, silently approving of the black eye Wilhelm had supplied him with on the way up. "You know you don't have to prove yourself to me or-"  
  
"It's not that. I worked with him for years, I know just what buttons to press." Rhys muttered. "Trust me. I know what I'm getting myself into."  
  
"Alright, babe." Jack said, jutting his chin at the door. "Get to it."  
  
Rhys smirked and entered the room, Vasquez looking up at the sound of the door.  
  
"What exactly am I doing here, Rhys?" Hugo asked archly, a smug grin on his face. "You don't have the authority for a move like this, _cyclops_. I'd hate for your little friends to suffer because of this play of yours-"  
  
"You can't touch Vaughn or Yvette, Hugo; they've gone." Rhys said curtly, taking the seat across from where Vasquez was bound to the table. "It’s just you and me now."  
  
"Who the hell do you think you are, you robotic freak?" Vasquez snarled, rising in his seat as much as he could. "I'm the president of the entire sales department, you're a fucking assistant. On the hierarchy-"  
  
"You're not even close to being in my league, Wallethead."  
  
"W-what did you just call me?"  
  
"Wallethead. I believe that was Jack's favorite nickname for you? On account of the embarrassing flap of skin resembling a wallet that you tried to hide with hair implants?" Jack grinned, delighting in the look on the bastard's face. "Jack told me all about it. He tells me everything." Rhys leaned forward, his metal hand clicking ominously against the table. "And that's exactly what you're going to do."  
  
"Or _what?"_  
  
"Or I hand you off to people much less restrained than myself." Rhys asked, getting to his feet and turning his back on Vasquez, winking at Jack through the window. "You're familiar with Handsome Jack's temper, yes?" Rhys asked blithely. "Of course you are, everyone is. But you've never been properly introduced to his full temper, have you? If you had, you'd be dead." He smiled, looking at Vasquez's reflection in the glass. "Trust me. I'm your best chance at redemption, here. Maybe he'll let you keep a limb, or your face."  
  
"Listen here, you little shit." Vasquez sneered, his back straightening ramrod straight as he tried to glare down at Rhys through the mirror. "You may have gotten under Handsome Jack's skin, with your little honey pot con artist tricks-" he laughed when Rhys twitched, and Jack watched his eyes widen in shock. "Oh yeah, buddy, I've got friends in lots of places and few of them mentioned you and your eventful childhood running cons for Vallory."  
  
Jack knew that look. That was the face Rhys made every time Jack tried to find out more about his past, that look of fear and shame and agony. He _hated_ that look.  
  
Hugo leaned back in his chair, back to being smug. "I hear you and her son were quite the dream team. Is that what this is? Are you trying to sweeten me up, see if you can _fuck_ the information out of me? You'll have to try a hell of a lot harder than this, bitch-"  
  
No one talked to Rhys like that in front of Jack.  
  
Jack didn't remember telling his body to move, and he didn't remember giving it permission to kick down the interrogation room door. He remember blinking, and the next thing he knew, he had Vasquez pinned under him, his fists repeatedly connecting with his face with echoing, satisfying-yet-slightly-sickening thuds. He thought he felt several things break under his knuckles, but he didn't care.  
  
No one talked to Rhys like that.  
  
A hand wrapped around his wrist, and Jack stilled, Vasquez dangling from his grasp limply, barely hanging on to consciousness.  
  
"Rhys, let go." Jack growled, his eyes still on Vasquez. It was only Rhys' flesh hand. He could easily break Rhys' grip, but he didn't want to hurt him.  
  
"No, Jack." Rhys said, insistent, his thumb trailing across the wildly beating pulse on the other man's wrist. Jack relaxed minutely into the touch, Vasquez slipping from his grip and falling back to the floor. "We need him to talk. He can't do that if he's dead." The caress at his wrist was working, forcing Jack to focus on that instead of the man whimpering on the floor. "Jack, please, just...let me handle this."  
  
"What."  
  
"Let me try again. I'll get him to talk. He just surprised me, that's all." Jack hesitated, and it must have shown in his face. "Jack, we're running out of time. I know what I'm doing."  
  
"But-" Jack started to say, but Rhys hauled him up to his feet, looking critically at Jack's bleeding knuckles.  
  
"You're too wound up for this." Rhys said. Jack was once again impressed with how Rhys was able to compartmentalize his feelings and stay logical. All Jack wanted to do was rage and break things and kill people, anything to make the guilt and shame of letting this happen to his innocent Angel go away. But Rhys was cool headed, calculating, and ready to fuck shit up and salt the earth afterward.  
  
"Angel needs us to find her fast, and right now, you are too volatile. Angel needs you to step back and let me take over for a bit." Rhys waited a moment, then pressed his lips against Jack's bloodied knuckles. "Come on, handsome. Let me get our Angel back."  
  
Jack melted against Rhys, the way he always did when Rhys called him by his favorite moniker. "...Alright, babe." Jack said at last. "I trust you. I'm staying, but I trust you." He cupped Rhys' face, his thumbs gently brushing away the drop of blood clinging to his lower lip. "Make him talk."  
  
"Thank you." Rhys said, his lips pursing at Jack's thumb. Jack walked past him, taking up the space between the interrogation window and the hole where the door used to be.  
  
"As you can see, Wallethead, Handsome Jack prefers the ‘kill first, ask questions maybe’ tactic. It's a personal failing of his. I try to tell him to be patient, that he'll get much more information if he stopped strangling people right off the bat, but he just doesn't _listen_. Me, on the other hand..." Rhys sauntered over to Vasquez's prone body, his shoes clicking in a measure rhythm. "I happen to be incredibly patient, and highly motivated in this regard. So I'll ask you..." He crouched at Vasquez's side.  
  
"Where is Jack's daughter?"  
  
There was no answer save for the ragged sound of Vasquez's breath. Underneath his cool veneer, Rhys grinned to himself.  
  
"Jack?" Rhys said pleasantly, calling Jack back from his own less than pure thoughts. "Our friend is still being uncooperative. Could you hand me your gun, handsome?" He asked, his smile sinister.  
  
"Whatever you want, babe." Jack grinned, drawing his pistol and handing it to his partner. Rhys thanked Jack with a peck on the cheek, spinning the barrel once before shooting Vasquez right through the kneecap. He howled with pain, cursing as blood splattered out, nearly reaching Rhys' skagskin shoes. Rhys only smiled placidly.  
  
"Are we feeling more cooperative now, or do we need to take out the other knee as well?" He asked airily. "Be warned, if I have to shoot you again, it will be with a corrosive bullet." Rhys cocked his head. "Have you heard that we've improved the formula for the corrosive effect? Probably not, it's still in the experimental stages. I haven't seen it myself, but the brainiacs tell me it has a fascinating effect on human flesh.  It eats and eats at the cells, inch by agonizing inch, worse than any burn, infecting every inch of skin it touches, until you want to chew off your own limbs just to make the pain stop. And-" he grinned wickedly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "It has no antidote. Again, I've never seen it myself, but I think I'll find it..." He aimed the gun. "Educational."  
  
"You don't have the balls." Vasquez spat, but his eyes were wide. "You need me."  
  
"Don't I? I can wait till you're screaming and begging me to get what I want, but I'm being generous. You wanna test how much I _hate_ you? After everything you've done to me and the people I care about, you wanna fucking _test_ what I'll do to keep her safe?" Rhys eyes flashed dangerously as he pulled back the hammer, his finger tensing on the trigger. "Your fucking funeral."  
  
"No, wait!" Vasquez spluttered. "I'll talk!"  
  
"Tick tock, Hugo." Rhys sang, the gun not dropping an inch. "Where is she?"  
  
"Stop! Stop, don't!" Vasquez begged, his eyes wide in fear. "Pandora! They took her to Pandora!"  
  
"Where on Pandora?" Rhys hissed.  
  
"A settlement in the desert! I don't know where, I was just given the device to override the system!" Vasquez whimpered, his eyes on the gun. "Please don't shoot me!"  
  
Rhys hesitated for a moment. It would be so easy, to shoot this smarmy, pompous, prejudiced asshole. He could sit back and watch as the flesh melted off his sizzling bones. Jack wouldn't stop him. Jack would probably _encourage_ him.  
  
But, he realized, there was someone who needed it more.  
  
"Of course _we_ won't shoot you." Rhys said, lifting his finger off the trigger and handing the gun back to Jack. "You're nowhere _near_ worthy enough to waste the bullet." He spat, turning on his heel. "Let's go, Jack."  
  
"You're letting him _live_?" Jack asked incredulously, his hand clenching around his gun.  
  
"Have some faith, Jack." Rhys said with a roll of his eyes, pressing a button on his communicator. "I need a security team in Interrogation Room C. Transport the prisoner to the nearest available airlock until you hear from myself or Handsome Jack." He hung up without waiting for a reply. "Felicity? You know what to do."  
  
"Yes, sir. Consider it done."  
  
"Let's go."

* * *

  
"You can't just leave me here!" Vasquez shouted, pounding against the door sealed tight after him. "You need me!"  
  
"No we do not, asshat." Felicity said, her voice cold.  
  
"Who-"  
  
"I am the one thing standing in between you and death, Mr. Vasquez. You see, Rhys has given me full control over your fate. He says he trusts me to deal with you as you deserve."  
  
"Listen, we...we can work something out." Vasquez said, with a smile that was clearly meant to be charming but came out more like a blood soaked grimace. "We can help each other-"  
  
"Do you know, I have full control over this station? Oh sure, Jack gives the orders, but _I'm_ the one who carries them out. And do you know what his first order was?"  
  
"N-no?"  
  
" _Keep my daughter safe._ " Jack's voice said over a scratchy recording. " _Don't let anything happen to her._ "  
  
"But _you..."_ Felicity snarled, static rage clouding her voice. "You spineless little worm, you managed to get past my security! You got a communication signal off this station to whoever the fuck took her!  You got that...thing into one of my shuttles carrying my most precious charge! How did you and that bitch do it? Tell me!"  
  
"I don't know! I don't even know who you are!" Vasquez wailed, his eyes wide with fear. "Please-"  
  
"Let me explain how this will go down. You will tell me what I want to know, or I will kill you. I will raise the temperature in this room so high that I will burn the skin off your flesh. I will rain every kind of acid I have on hand onto your screaming, charred body. I will suck what's left of you into space through a hole the size of a coin, and if you don't tell me a satisfactory answer in the next thirty seconds, I drag all of that out slowly over the course of an entire day instead of a merciful ten minutes. Now I ask you again, you pathetic excuse for a person. How did you get past my security?"  
  
His answer, ultimately, was _not_ satisfactory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme tell you guys, there were few things more satisfying to write than that asshole's death scene.
> 
> As always, I live off of your comments and kudos and whatnot!


	27. Chapter 27

Rhys watched as Jack fidgeted, his hands tapping a frantic beat against his thigh. They had just left the office, heading up to raid Jack's personal armory before meeting the others at the moonshot cannon. He hesitated outside the threshold of the penthouse, something telling him to stay behind for a moment.  
  
"Come on, babe, times a wastin’'!" Jack said, but his eyes were manic in a way that made Rhys' stomach drop.  
  
He knew that look. He had seen it in his own eyes whenever he thought of his sisters, of Angel, of all the people he wanted to protect.  
  
That was the look of a man about to do something desperate.  
  
"You're not gonna lock me in the penthouse when my back is turned so you can go down to Pandora without me, are you?" He asked frankly. Jack started, his whole body tensing.  
  
"What? No!" Jack said, but his laugh was forced, he couldn't meet Rhys' eyes for more than a few moments. "Why would you even-"  
  
"Oh, don't pretend like that isn't _exactly_ the sort of thing you'd do." Rhys said, crossing his arms. He raised his eyebrows at Jack. "I know you, Jack. I _know_ you were thinking about it."  
  
"...Okay, yes, the thought had crossed my mind." Jack admitted, his shoulders slumping. "Can you blame me, kitten? I can't lose you, too-"  
  
"You're not losing anyone. Not Angel, not Maya, Axton or Gaige, and certainly not me." Rhys insisted. "But you're _not_ leaving this station without me. Someone needs to keep you focused. You can't just go on a killing spree, or you’ll have a bloodbath on your hands and Angel could get caught in the crossfire."  
  
"I do have _some_ self-control-"  
  
"No, you don’t.” Rhys interrupted. “I love you, but you _don’t_. Not when it comes to her.”

“Babe-”

“And I will lose my _fucking_ _shit_ if you leave me alone up here." Rhys finished. "Do you understand me, Jack? I will lose my goddamn _mind_ , and I will _never_ forgive you."  
  
"...Alright, then. No locking you in the penthouse." Jack conceded, trying to ignore that fluttery feeling in his chest, knowing it was entirely due to Rhys saying he loved him. "Do you want to stay out here while I get the weaponry, or do you trust me?"  
  
"Of course I trust you." Rhys said, walking into the penthouse. "I'll grab my gun and shield."  
  
"Wait, don't." Jack said, catching Rhys’ arm and halting him in his tracks. "I...I have something for you." Jack said, imputing a code into a wall panel and accessing his private armory. "Wait there."  
  
"Jack, I don't think we really have time for..." Rhys trailed off, watching Jack as he reached into the vault to pull out the most beautiful and deadly looking cybernetic arm Rhys had ever seen.  
  
"Holy _shit_ , Jack." Rhys breathed, staring at the arm in awe. The fingers curved into vicious talons, looking like they had been dipped in pure gold. A quick cursory scan revealed several weapons of various intensities hiding under its glossy gold and black surface. Missiles, a particle shotgun, what looked like a localized laser array centered around the palm, and electrical shielding so thorough that Rhys couldn't find a section that wasn't both deadly and secure.  
  
"I made it when Angel's design turned out to be more peaceful that I was really comfortable with. I wanted you to have the option of defending yourself, if the situation arose." Jack’s eyes searched Rhys’ face, his shoulders hunched up slightly. "Do you like it?"  
  
"It's...it's beautiful." Rhys breathed, reaching out hesitatingly. "Viciously so."  
  
"Kinda like you, then." Jack said with a small smile. Rhys gaped, a flush rising in his cheeks as his eyes danced.  
  
"That's _really_ for me?" he asked, trying and failing to contain himself.  
  
"Sure is. Wanna try it on?"  
  
"Hell _yes_." Rhys breathed, ripping off his jacket to get at his cybernetic, his ECHOeye already lighting up as he went thought the shutdown procedures, the arm popping out of the socket a moment later. Jack grinned fondly as he helped Rhys set the new arm in its place, a broad grin stretching his lips as he watched Rhys flex the fingers, a delighted look on his face.  
  
"Holy shit." He repeated, laughing and flexing his wrist as a missile launcher popped out of his forearm. "This is amazing."  
  
"I'm glad you like it." Jack murmured, his hands gentle as he pulled Rhys against his chest. He traced the outline of Rhys’ cybernetics, his face pensive and wary.

“Jack?” Rhys said, cupping the CEO’s face with his flesh hand. “Are you okay?”

“Nope.” He said honestly. “I’ll be fine once she’s safe.” He swallowed, pressing his lips against Rhys’ palm. "I'm bringing you with me, but...Don't you dare get hurt, okay?" He demanded, his lips brushing against Rhys’ skin. "If you get hurt-"  
  
"Hey." Rhys said, pressing a kiss against Jack's temple, right below that charming streak of gray. "I'll be fine. I've got you to watch my back, don't I?" Jack smiled, his mind settling for just a moment.  
  
"Count on it, babe."

* * *

  
The inside of Moxxi's bar was deathly quiet. She had closed her doors to her regulars, told her wait staff to take the day off, and called in the two best fighters she knew. Now the three of them hovered by the counter, Moxxi wincing as she held a dingy towel wrapped around ice against her ribs, nursing her third whiskey of the morning.  
  
"You _sure_ we can't get you a healing hypo or something, Mox?" Lilith asked, adjusting her grip on her rifle. Roland made a grunt of agreement, his eyes flicking between Moxxi and the door.  
  
"I'll be fine for a little while longer." Moxxi said, wincing as her bruised ribs ached. "Trust me, I'll need every pity point I can get from this crowd."  
  
"Why are you even here still?” Roland asked. “You should be halfway to Sanctuary by now. We can protect you. You'd be safe there."  
  
"No. I can't."  
  
"You don't owe him anything. He's Handsome fucking Jack. You never had a problem fucking him over before." Lilith pointed out. Moxxi winced, staring into her glass.  
  
"This was different. Someone else got caught in the crossfire. Someone...innocent." She swallowed a large gulp of whiskey, feeling the burn travel all the way into her belly. "I'm doing this for her."  
  
"You still haven't explained what's going on, Mox."  
  
"Trust me, you won't have long to wait." Moxxi muttered. Outside, an explosion sounding in the far distance, followed by a shaking thud as something hit the ground hard. Both Lilith and Roland instantly had their guns up, aiming at the door.  
  
"He's here." Moxxi said, taking a final swig of her drink. "Showtime."

* * *

  
Jack gave the order to move in on the bar, with Wilhelm and Nisha heading the team while Timothy and Aurelia brought up the rear. Rhys stood at his right, his golden arm shining in the hot Pandoran sun.  
  
He barely noticed the presences of Roland and Lilith, though he would in a moment. All his focus was on Moxxi, and the guilty, resigned look on her face.  
  
There has been a part of him, however small, that had been convinced that she hadn't known, that she had bad information fed to her and that she hadn't _knowingly_ put his little girl in danger.  
  
But all it took was one look between Moxxi and Jack for him to know what she had done.  
  
She had sold him out.  
  
"You fucking BITCH!" Jack roared when he finally found his voice. He couldn't believe he had fallen for her schemes _again_. "YOU TRAITOROUS, BACKSTABBING _CUNT_!!"  
  
"Jack-" Moxxi tried, but Jack quickly cut her off.  
  
"I _TRUSTED_ YOU! AFTER EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE, I TRUSTED YOU _AGAIN_!" Jack shouted, barely registering how Wilhelm and Timothy were struggling to hold him back. All he wanted was to get his hands around her throat and squeeze until he snapped her head clean off. "YOU PUT MY BABY IN DANGER!"  
  
"They were going to kill my children-" Moxxi began, taking a few steps back, away from the snarling animal that Jack had become. For once, even Mad Moxxi was afraid she had gone too far.  
  
"AND THAT MAKES IT _OKAY_?! YOU THINK _I_ AM GOING TO BE ANY MORE MERCIFUL? 'CAUSE I AM FRESH OUT OF MERCY, _SUGAR_!"  
  
"Jack-"  
  
"SHE'S A FUCKING _CHILD_ , MOXXI! SHE HASN'T BEEN OFF HELIOS IN _YEARS_ , AND YOU-" Jack wrenched himself out of the hands holding him back, his gun out at pointed at Moxxi's head in the next instant. "You manipulated me into putting her in danger."  
  
"Back off, Jack." Lilith said, speaking at last, her own gun aimed at Jack's head. "Give the lady a chance to explain."  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I was you, Red." Nisha purred, her own pistols out and at the ready. "Not unless you want your blood decorating the walls.  
  
"Of course _you're_ here, Lilith." Jack growled, finally registering her presence. "What, it's not enough that I lost the person most precious to me, you had to bring _her_ out of god-knows-where to rub it in my face? It's like you _want_ me to make your death slow and agonizing, Mox."  
  
"You could kill me, but then you wouldn't get the information I have.” Moxxi said, a last bid for salvation. “Information that could help save her-"  
  
"Oh, you'll be telling me _anything_ I want when you're knee deep in acid and your own flesh-"  
  
"Jack." Rhys said at last, stepping in front of Jack, his back to Moxxi and her goons. He gently turned Jack's head, forcing his eyes to meet his own. "Breathe."  
  
Jack stared at him with wild eyes for a moment before releasing a ragged breath. Rhys smiled comfortingly.  
  
"I know you're angry. I’m angry, too. I would love nothing more than to see her get _exactly_ what she deserves. But Angel needs us. We will deal with her later. So right now, you need to calm down and not. Kill. Her."  
  
"But-" Jack began but Rhys interrupted him, slowly lowering the muzzle of Jack's gun until it pointed at the ground.  
  
" _This_ isn't helping. We're no closer to finding Angel, and if you kill Moxxi, we may never find her." Rhys pointed out, his flesh hand soft against the one Jack had curled around his gun. "Let me handle this."  
  
"And who the _hell_ are you-" Lilith began, but Moxxi silenced her with an appreciative, if strained, wolf whistle.  
  
" _Hello_ , sugar." She purred, seeing him for what he was; a relatively cool head amongst all of the gun-toting assassins Jack had brought. "Nice new arm."  
  
"Thanks. It was a gift." Rhys said, taking a seat across from her at the bar. "Okay. You're dealing with me now. Tell me everything you know."  
  
"There's not much to tell, sugar." Moxxi admitted.  
  
"Start with the basics, then. What did they want?"  
  
"They wanted information about Jack, and Angel. They wouldn't take no for an answer."  
  
"What did you tell them?"  
  
" _Nothing_. I told them nothing."  
  
"Why should we believe you?" Jack snarled. Moxxi ignored him, focusing on Rhys' quiet, impassive face.  
  
"Fuckers got angry when I wouldn't give them what they wanted. Roughed me up a bit. Then they said if I didn't convince Jack to get Angel off of Helios, they'd blow up Scooter and Ellie's garages. I did what they asked, but they came back. Wanted to make sure I didn't talk. If Lilith and Roland hadn't arrived when they did..."  
  
"Could you tell us who did this to you?" He asked, gesturing at her injuries. "A name, maybe?"  
  
Moxxi sighed, reaching back for a bottle. "Care for a drink?"  
  
"Sure, why not?" Rhys said, his tone wary. She poured him a glass of something that made Rhys' eyes water in a very familiar way. He raised his eyebrows at her.  
  
"Pandoran moonshine?"  
  
"I know a Pandoran when I see one. You can dress yourself up however you want, but this planet leaves its scars on everyone." She looked at his arm. "Some more obvious than others."  
  
"Look, I appreciate the friendliness, but time is of the essence here." Rhys said tightly, downing the drink without blinking. "Tell us who did this to you."  
  
"They were led by a pretty unfriendly looking older gentleman. I don't know his name. Grey hair, face half melted off." She shuddered, taking a swig of her bottle of moonshine. "Stuff of nightmares, that guy."  
  
"Anything else you can tell us?"  
  
"Uh...he had...yeah, a tattoo, I think. Wings? Across the front of his throat."  
  
That got Jack's attention, his whole body freezing. "Wings? Like...bird wings?" He asked, dreading the answer.  
  
"No...bats. Like a rakk's wings." She replied, confused.  
  
" _Fuck_." Jack snarled under his breath, his hands clenching hard. "You're sure Mox, absolutely sure?"  
  
"You try to remember the significant details of the people beating the shit out of you."  
  
"Do you know who took her?" Rhys asked.  
  
"His name is Damon. Self-appointed leader of the Children of the Vault. I thought I killed him last time we did this. Total psychopath." Jack said, his voice clipped.  
  
"That's rich, coming from you." Lilith sneered. Rhys ignored her, seeing the set of Jack's jaw.  
  
"What aren't you saying, Jack?" He asked, his voice quiet but firm. Jack sighed, rubbing his hand over his face.  
  
"He's also Angel's grandfather."

* * *

  
Angel came to slowly, her head pounding severely. She moaned, it was just her luck to get sick again on vacation. She tried to rub her aching temples but was stopped short as something tugged on her wrists.  
  
She opened her eyes slowly, confused. The thing holding her wrist back turned out to be a heavy iron manacle, binding both her arms to a ring welded to the wall. A look around told her she was in a roughly hewn cell, carved into red rock and smelling harshly of sand, ash, and heat. A frantic glance around told her she was alone, with none of her guardians in sight.  
  
"Oh no." She murmured, getting to her feet. "Oh no, no, _no_..."  
  
"Ah, I see you're awake." A shrill female voice sneered. Angel turned to her cell doors and spotted two robed figures, each carrying a heavy gun across their backs.  
  
"Go tell Father Damon she's awake." The female voice said, and one of the bandits left. Angel glared at the remaining one, feeling the edges of her vision go just a little bit red.  
  
"Oh, you made a big mistake taking me, _bandit_." She snapped, her eyes flashing. "Don't you know what my daddy's gonna do to you when he finds me? He's gonna blow off your freaking head, and that's just a start!" Angel shouted, struggling against her bonds. She could feel the icy grip of fear start to work its way into her lungs, so she did what her father always did; she was shouting threats to hide her panic. "He's gonna make you wish you were never, ever _born_!"  
  
"That's what you think, little girl." The bandit cackled, turning her back on Angel and walking out of sight. Angel snarled, pulling on her chains as she shouted through the walls of the cell.  
  
"My daddy is gonna wipe the floor with you! He's gonna save a bit for me if I want it, and then he's gonna moonshot you right into the freaking sun!" She pulled and pulled but she only managed to rub her wrists raw under the manacles. "Rhys will find out who you are and where we are, he _always_ does, and then my daddy's gonna bring an entire army down on your stupid heads!" She swallowed against the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Ever hear of the Lawbringer? The Enforcer? The Baroness? Those guys are my daddy's best friends, and he's gonna call them _all_ in for your dumb _butt_!"  
  
There was no response, nothing but the sound of Angel's harsh breathing. For the first time in her life, she was truly alone. No Felicity, no guardians, no father less than an ECHOcom away.  
  
Angel gritted her teeth. She was not going to cry. She was Handsome Jack's daughter. She would find a way out of this, and she would save everyone. She had to.  
  
She didn't want to think about the kind of destruction her father would cause if she got hurt.  
  
"Okay." She muttered to herself, looking around the cell. "Powers. Special powers. How do I use you again?" She thought back to the conversations she and Maya had, about the power that lived within her. Maya said that her powers were there to help her, that once they awoke, they would be there for her. she thought back the waiting room, when she had thrown the chair across the room. She remembered the anger, and the sadness at the sight of Rhys’ face when he realized that her father had not kept his promise. She had wanted to scream, and it felt like all of her own anger had caught fire in her chest, pushing the power out of her skin.  
  
Well, that was easy enough. She had plenty to be angry and upset about here. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find that hot surge inside her that preceded her powers. Groaning in frustration, she blew her hair out of her eyes with a huff.  
  
"Okay, so it's not just anger. What else did I feel? Come on, _think_!"  
  
She wondered if her father had figured out that they were taken yet, if he was already on his way. She wondered if Rhys was with him when he found out.  
  
She wondered if her father had accidentally killed Rhys in one of his blind rages.  
  
"No!" She shouted, feeling like lava was pumping through her chest as she pulled against her chains once more, her wrists passing through with only a little resistance, sending her sprawling back onto her backside.  
  
"What the..." Angel wondered, turning her hand over and over. "How did I...?" A glow to her left drew her eyes down to her arm, where she could see her birthmarks shining brightly under her clothing.  
  
"Huh. Okay. Cool." Angel said, getting up and brushing the red dirt off her clothes. "It's not anger. It’s _worry."_  
  
She shook out her hands, her eyes set on the bars as her eyes began to glow brightly.  
  
"Okay, Angel. Time to cause a ruckus." She said, holding her hands out to the bars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gang! I hope you've prepared yourselves, cause the next chapter's gonna be a whopper, with a few familiar faces from TFTBL making their long awaited appearances! Next chapter should be out sometime next week, and, as always, comments, kudos and the like make me write faster! <3


	28. Chapter 28

"Her grandfather?" Rhys repeated. "How-"  
  
"I don't know, and frankly I don't care." Jack growled, turning on his heel and marching towards the door. "Friggin murderous cultist scum...don't know how to stay goddamn _dead_..."  
  
"Jack, _Jack_!" Rhys called, vaulting out of his chair and standing between him and the door. "Talk to me."  
  
"Rhysie, the longer she's there, the longer she's with _him_..." There was a desperation in his face that Rhys had never seen before, and it made the breath catch in his chest. "He killed his own daughter in cold blood. Who knows what he'll do to my baby?"  
  
"He won't kill her." Rhys said, hoping he wasn't making a liar out of himself. "He's always tried to take her alive. She's got Axton and Maya, and they will not stop fighting until they're dead, and then some. He needs her for something, I can feel it." He cupped Jack's neck, feeling his wild pulse beat against his palm as he pressed his forehead against Jack’s. "She'll be home soon."  
  
"Jack, wait." Moxxi called. "I hired some extra guns for you."  
  
"You _what_?" Jack and Roland said in unison.  
  
"Why the _hell_ would you do that?" Lilith added.  
  
"Because not even _you_ deserve to lose your daughter to someone like that." Moxxi said quietly, addressing Jack alone.  
  
"I don't need your fucking help, _bitch_." Jack snarled, whirling on her. Moxxi fixed him with a glare.  
  
"Really? You're going to turn down extra bodies on this rescue mission out of _spite_? That seems like the sane, responsible thing to do." She snapped, her hands on her hips. "Fuck you, Jack, I'm not letting you put her in danger just because of your own fucking trust issues! "  
  
" _My_ trust issues? She wouldn't be in danger if you hadn't-"  
  
"They had guns pointed at my _children_ , what would _you_ have done-"  
  
"Listen here you raging _twatbag_ -"  
  
"ENOUGH!" Rhys shouted, cutting through the argument. "Jack, hear her out for a second, please."  
  
"Why? You think I'm gonna let her send the wonder twins with me again, so she can try to _murder_ me? _AGAIN_?!"  
  
"I'm not sending Lilith and Roland with you, _idiot_. They guys I hired, they're new blood, no connection with either of us, no reason to stab you in the back." Moxxi looked between Rhys and Jack. "I want her safe. Trust that."  
  
"...if I even think they might pull anything, I'll kill them, Moxxi. And that will be on your head." Jack said at last. "Where are they?"  
  
"They'll be here in a moment. Thank you, Jack." Moxxi said, pausing for a moment. "Consider this my no questions favor. You and me are square again."  
  
"I see your face again, Moxxi, and I'll put a bullet in it."  
  
"I'd expect nothing less from you."

* * *

  
Angel crept silently along the carved corridors. 'Don't panic.' She repeated to herself, carefully peering around the corner. 'This is just like tactical hide and seek with Axton. You've played this game a thousand times, and you've beaten him more than few times.'  
  
She took a deep breath, and imagined Axton crouched down beside her, trying to make his compactly muscled body fit into as small a space as hers did.  
  
'Stay close to the walls, the shadows are your friends.' Axton's voice said in her mind, the laughter mixing with his smooth drawl. He always sounded like those cowboy heroes in those Wild West ECHOcasts, all silver-tongued but quick on the draw. 'Remember, don't make a sound. People don't always investigate the shadows unless they hear something funny.'  
  
'Don't worry, Axton.' Angel thought, running down the corridor and hiding behind an outcropping of rock. 'I'm coming to save _you_ this time.'  
  
A thumping footstep had her pressing her back against the wall, her breath catch in her lungs. She stayed as still as possible, watching as a modified BUL-Loaderbot came into view.  
  
A laugh threatened to bubble out of her. She couldn't believe her luck.  
  
'Wow, these bandits are stupid.' Angel thought to herself, a smile stretching her chapped lips. 'Don't they realize that my daddy made this stuff?'  
  
"Hey, big guy!" Angel said sweetly, waving at the Loaderbot and coming out of the shadows. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"  
  
"Negative. Prisoner will cease speaking and return to its cell at once, or risk my wrath." The Loaderbot droned, activating its shoulder mounted turret. Angel just kept smiling.  
  
"Override bravo-delta-nine-three-three-oh-Angel, codeword: LB Buddy." Angel said in a singsong voice. The loader's eye focused on her for a moment before the programming took hold, and the robot straightened to its full height, its turret deactivated.  
  
"LB program activated. New personality uploaded." The robot announced, before its legs collapsed into its body, bringing its large red eye to Angel's eye level. "Good afternoon, Miss Angel. It is good to see you again."  
  
"Hi, Elbie." She said, reaching up to pat the loader's chassis. "I'm glad you're here with me."  
  
"Where is here?" Elbie asked, swiveling on his waist support as he surveyed the room. "Scans indicate that we are not on Helios."  
  
"No, Elbie, we're not. Did anything survive the personality wipe? Anything to tell us who you worked for?"  
  
"Negative, my memory banks have all been wiped. No information remains."  
  
"Rats." Angel sighed, her mind racing. "I guess we'll have to find something else."  
  
"Shall I free you from this place?" Elbie asked, his hands reaching for her. "Opportunity is only an hour's flight away."  
  
"No, no no, wait." Angel said, darting out of the way. "I can't leave without the others. And Gortys, I need to find Gortys quickly."  
  
"How can I help?"  
  
Angel pondered for a moment, her quick mind analyzing her situation. "They don't know you're on my side now. We have an element of surprise. Let's keep it that way. For now, I want you to pretend like nothing's changed, and don't let on that you've switched sides while you do something for me, kay?"  
  
"Understood."  
  
"You need to find Gortys. She's a robot, like you, round and silver. When you find her, I want you to get her out of here. That's your number one priority. Get Gortys out, and find my dad. He'll be nearby."  
  
"What about you? I cannot leave you with these hooligans."  
  
"Don't worry about me. Just find Gortys and get her out." Angel ordered, putting that tone in her voice that she learned from her father, the one that made people scramble to do what he told them. “If they find out what she can do…” she shuddered. “It’ll be really bad. I can’t let that happen. I’ll get the others, you get Gortys.”

“As you wish.”

* * *

  
An hour later, Rhys and Jack were still waiting in Moxxi’s bar for the extra muscle Moxxi had hired. The rest of their team had retired out to the convoy, waiting agitatedly.  
  
"Where the hell are your people, Mox?" Jack growled, pacing the length of the bar like a caged lion. "I swear, if this is some sick, stalling tactic..."  
  
Moxxi gave him a dry glare. "Tone down your paranoia for a second. If I wanted to stall you, I'd just put a bullet in your leg and run."  
  
"I like that plan." Lilith muttered, her tattoos flickering orange. "Let's do that."  
  
"You shut your face, siren." Jack growled. Moxxi rolled her eyes.  
  
"Relax, asshole, they'll be here. They had to drive here all the way from Hollow Point, and it's a bit of a drive even without the possibility of waking up a rakk hive-"  
  
"Did you say Hollow Point?" Rhys asked sharply, his eyes wide, feeling like the ground was falling away under his feet. Moxxi blinked at him.  
  
"Yeah. My son recommended them, said they needed a break." She shrugged. "I've met them, they're good vault hunters. Pretty rare, seeing girls that young getting into the business-" Nearby, her ECHOcom chirped, interrupting her. "About time." She muttered, answering it. "It's about time you arrived..."  
  
"Oh no." Rhys murmured, getting to his feet. He moved towards Jack, catching him mid stride. "We have to go."  
  
"Rhysie?" Jack asked, instantly on the defense. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted to wait for-"  
  
"I changed my mind, we have to leave. We don't need these vault hunters, we'll be fine on our own." Rhys said hurriedly, his eyes darting between Moxxi and the door. Jack grabbed him by the chin, pulling his attention to Jack.  
  
"What's wrong?" Jack asked lowly. Rhys opened his mouth to answer, when the sound of an approaching vehicle drifted through the door. He closed his eyes, his posture slumping in defeat.  
  
"Fuck." Rhys swore under his breath as all too familiar sounds drew closer. "Fuck, fuck, _fuck_..."  
  
"What's the matter, babe?" Jack repeated.  
  
"Nothing. I...it's nothing." He grumbled, sighing heavily and resigning himself to his fate. "Let's just...get this over with."  
  
"Kitten, you're freaking me out here, what the hell-"  
  
"Moxxi!"  
  
Jack looked over Rhys shoulder, recognizing the man who entered the bar. It was the guy he had let escape at Rhys' behest last time they were on Pandora.  
  
"Oh, great. This asshat again." Jack growled, his eyes narrowing at August. " _This_ is Moxxi’s idea of help?"  
  
"Oh, _shit_." August muttered his eyes widening as he stared at Jack. "Moxxi, you didn't say-"  
  
"Because if I did, you wouldn't have showed up." Moxxi said.  
  
"You don't understand, there's...extenuating circumstances here." August said, and Rhys appreciated the frantic look in his eyes that matched his own.  
  
"Look, I _know_ , okay? But I wouldn't have hired you and the girls if I knew you'd be in any danger from him. For once, he's...he's in the right here."  
  
"It's not that, it's-"  
  
"The hell is going on here, Rhysie?" Jack asked, falling back a few steps so his shoulder brushed against Rhys'.  
  
"Relax, Jack." Rhys said, leaning into Jack for a moment as the door opened once more. "Just a little...family reunion."  
  
“What…”

Jack’s question was answered by the arrival of two young women, one in a fancy hat and dapper outfit, the other with a head of dreadlocks held back by an orange sash, a Maliwan SMG strapped to her hip.  
  
"No. Nope. Not happening." The girl with dreadlocks said as soon as she registered Rhys and Jack's faces.  
  
"Sasha-" the woman in the hat admonished, before seeing them as well, her voice dying as a look of shock overtook her pretty face.  
  
"Nope. I don't care how much Moxxi’s paying us, I will not work with _him_." She said, pointing past Jack, her eyes staring accusingly at Rhys, who wanted nothing more than the earth to swallow him whole.  
  
"Sash, come on, it's good money-" August pleaded, but the woman shook him off.  
  
"No! I won't do it! I don't care what the mission is, I will not work with his lying, betraying, _murderous_ ass on _anything_!"  
  
"The hell is she talking about, kitten?" Jack asked, bewildered. Rhys sighed, trying not to let her words hurt him.  
  
"Jack, this is Sasha, and the one in the hat is Fiona. They're…my sisters."  
  
"Ah." Jack said, the pieces falling into place. "Now I understand."  
  
"Rhys." Fiona said slowly, keeping her distance. "Moxxi didn't say anything about-"  
  
"I figured." Rhys said quietly, all of the steel missing from his voice. "If you had known, you wouldn't be here."  
  
"Hey, Jack, we're all ready to go whenever you're...whaaat is happening?" Timothy asked as he and Aurelia entered the tense bar. "Everything all right here?" He asked, his hand twitching slightly. "Rhys?"  
  
"Yeah, we're just peachy." Rhys grumbled. "I'm just gonna...go. With them. I assume you can handle the briefing, Jack?"  
  
"Hang on, why am I the only one freaking out about this? He's the one who swore we'd never have to see his fucking face again, and then he hires us for some murder mission with _Handsome_ _Jack_? I mean, come on, why are we even standing-"  
  
Okay, that was enough. Not wanting to be here was one thing, blaming him for the situation and accusing him of going back on his word was another.  
  
"You think _I_ orchestrated this? That I wanted to have you yelling at me while I try to fix one of the biggest mistakes of my life? God DAMNIT Sasha, will you pull your head out of your own ass for once!" Rhys shouted, silencing his sister mid rant. "Not everything is about you!"  
  
Silence followed his outburst, and Rhys instantly regretted his harsh words. He sighed, feeling drained of energy. "Look, we're wasting time. The longer we wait, the more time Angel is around those psychopaths. For the sake of an innocent little girl, can you please grow up for a fucking minute and help us? Afterwards, I don't care what you do, drive off into the sunset and forget about me, but for now try to act like a fucking professional."  
  
"You don't get to fucking talk to me like that." Sasha growled, taking a step forward. "What, you think you can abandon us for years and then just expect us to follow you blindly? After what you did to Felix-"  
  
"Did you or did you not take Moxxi’s job? Well, that job involves listening to me. You don't like it, leave."  
  
"Yeah, because we _have_ that option." She said sarcastically. "Not everyone sold their souls to Hyperion for a nice paycheck, asshole. Some of us have integrity."  
  
"Yeah, ‘cause staying on this craphole of a planet is so much better than having a stable job and a home that doesn't break down every time the wind blows."  
  
"You're such a sanctimonious prick-"  
  
"You should fucking talk, or are you too good to associate yourself with a Hyperion _warmonger_? Isn't that what you called me?"  
  
"I'm sorry, do you prefer _murderer_?"  
  
"Sasha, enough." Fiona said at last, cutting off Rhys' retort.  
  
"Are you taking his side?" Sasha asked, appalled.  
  
"No." Fiona said emphatically, and that hurt even worse than all of Sasha's yelling. "But we do have a job to do, and the quicker we get it done, the sooner we can be on our way."  
  
"She's right, Sasha." August muttered. "We need this job." Sasha glared at him.  
  
"Yeah, of course you take his side." Sasha grumbled.  
  
"How much did she..." Rhys stopped himself, trying to reign in his protective instincts. They didn't want him to help. They never did.  
  
"Enough to get off this rock and never come back." Fiona answered quietly. "There are plenty of suckers out there, and they find new vaults on other planets every day. We're leaving for good, and we're never coming back." She turned to Sasha. "An opportunity like this won't come again. Let's just...get this over with."  
  
"Whatever." Sasha huffed. "For what Moxxi’s paying us, I can deal with his sorry ass. Maybe." She pointed an accusing finger at Rhys. "but you even think of trying to pull the same stunt you pulled on Felix-"  
  
"Sasha, enough." Fiona repeated, taking her sister's arm and dragging her out the door. "Help me grab the extra gear from the caravan."  
  
"Unbelievable." Timothy muttered, allowing the two of them to pass reluctantly, pulling Aurelia protectively into his side. The haughty woman nodded, her nose in the air as she glared at them.  
  
"What ungrateful brats they are." She agreed. "Rhys is a much better sibling than I. I would never have stood for that."  
  
August shot Rhys a pained look and made to follow the two vault hunters outside, but Jack stopped him with a glare.  
  
"Yeah, no, you lot can take your own ride." Jack growled, his hand warm against Rhys' back. "Keep up with us or get left behind."  
  
August nodded. "Probably for the best." He glanced at Rhys. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Not your fault this time." Rhys answered, the walls around his heart weakening again. First Angel, now this? It was like the universe was trying to punish him.  
  
He supposed in a way, he deserved it.  
  
"Babe?" Jack murmured, his hand taking Rhys' human one, squeezing reassuringly. "I can tell them to get lost. We don't need to take them."  
  
"I'm fine." Rhys said softly, his cybernetic hand clenched as he got his emotions under control.  
  
"Kitten-"  
  
"I said I'm fine." He snapped, turning on his heel and getting into the convoy. "Let's get moving, we have a lot of ground to cover."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG this chapter was brutal. Sorry it's a little late, y'all, but I got it out, and that's what matters, right? Right?
> 
> *crickets*
> 
> Right...
> 
> As usual, feedback makes my heart sing and my little hands type. Hope y'all have a great weekend!


	29. Chapter 29

"Okay, that one’s…empty." Angel muttered, marking the wall with a rock. "Ugh, how many hallways of cells do these bandits _need_?"  
  
She let out a deep breath. Okay. She had ten minutes to look down the next hallway once the guards walked by. She crept back into her hiding space, holding her breath when she heard footsteps echoing down the hall.  
  
"Dratted little bitch..." One voice growled, low and deep. "How the hell did she get out?"

Welp, looks like they finally figured out that she escaped. She’d have to be more careful from here on out.  
  
"She's a fucking siren, idiot." A second voice replied, rasping slightly. "Who knows what kind of freaky things she could be capable of?"  
  
Angel scowled, gritting her teeth against a growl. When her daddy got here, they'd be sorry they ever tried to take her. She’d make sure of that.  
  
"Hey, did you hear that?" One of them said, and Angel's breath caught in her chest.  
  
"Whatcha got?"  
  
'No, no, no, _no_...'  
  
"I think I see something over..." The bandit said, starting to move towards Angel's hiding place.  
  
'Don't stay and get caught.' Axton said in her head, her body tensing. 'Get caught? Run. Maybe you'll surprise them and get away.'  
  
Taking a deep breath, she pushed off against the wall, sprinting past the bandit who had come to investigate. She turned to look behind her, grinning at the look of surprise on his fat dumb face, and ran smack into the legs of the other one.  
  
"Got her!" The skinny bandit shouted, while Angel shrieked and thrashed in his grip. "Bloody hell, she's a feisty one!"  
  
"About time." The other bandit sneered. "You think you could sneak away from us, little girl?"  
  
"LET ME GO!" She screamed, kicking her legs and whipping her head from side to side. "LEMME GO, LEMME GO, LET. ME. GO!!"  
  
"Scream all you like, little brat." The bandit said, pulling a stun baton of his belt and flicking it open. "No one’s gonna hear you in a minute."  
  
"No, don't! STOP!" Angel shouted, her mind clouding with fear for a moment. How could she save anyone if she was knocked out, come on, siren powers, do something!  
  
"Hey, that's not nice." A chipper electronic voice said from behind the bandit.  
  
Angel's head whipped around. "Gortys!"  
  
"Hiya, Angel! I found you!" Gortys chirped, waving merrily. "That nice Loaderbot let me out of the box they put me in, and I came to find you. You shouldn't do that to Angel." She said, waggling her finger at the bandit. "It's not nice."  
  
"Gortys, you have to run!" Angel shouted, struggling against her captor with renewed fervor. "Go, run, _now_!"  
  
"But I can't leave without you! You're my best friend!"  
  
"Best friend, huh?" The other bandit sneered, the stun rod in her hands crackling ominously. "Well, then..."  
  
"Don't you DARE!" Angel shrieked, her tattoos lighting up. "Don't you dare hurt her!"  
  
"Angel, what's going on?" Gortys asked, backing up away from the advancing bandit until her chassis hit the rock wall. "Who are these guys?"  
  
"They're the bad guys, please, Gortys, run!"  
  
"Oh, this little scrap heap isn't going anywhere." The bandit cackled, driving the sparking end of the stun baton into Gortys' chassis.  
  
The robot's distorted scream echoed grotesquely with Angel’s own cries, sobbing and begging for them to stop, please, _don't_ -  
  
The wall nearest to the little robot caved in, and Elbie crashed through it, shooting the arm off the bandit and sending the stun baton rolling away from Gortys.  
  
"What the fuck-" the bandit holding Angel screamed, his surprise giving Angel the opening she needed to bite down on the bandit’s arm, her mouth filling with hot coppery blood, causing him to shout and release her.  
  
"Get him!" She screamed, diving towards Gortys and Elbie as the LoaderBot filled the bandit’s chest with hot lead, trying to spit out the taste of blood. "Gortys, Gortys talk to me! Can you hear me?"  
  
"Hiya...Angel." Gortys said, her voice hitching in and out as her circuits sparked. "Don't...d-don't feel so g-good."  
  
"You're gonna be fine, Gortys." Angel said, pressing a kiss to her head. "I'mma get you outta here, and when daddy takes us home, I'll fix you up. Don’t you worry."  
  
"Not leaving...without you."  
  
Angel scowled, her mind racing. She couldn’t protect Gortys and save the others. The little robot wasn’t built for stealth, and even if she wasn’t compromised, she just didn’t understand the severity of the situation. Angel had no choice.

"I didn't want to have to do this, Gortys." She said, steeling herself.  
  
"What're you-"  
  
"Gortys, protocol Alpha November Victor 6. Shut down now!" She said firmly, tears falling down her cheeks. Gortys didn't even have a second to protest before her programming kicked in and she shut down, compressing into a smooth ball. Angel hugged the ball tightly for a moment, whispered, "I'm sorry," and stood.

"Elbie, get her out of here NOW! Priority Alpha! Find my dad, and give her to him."  
  
"As you wish." Elbie said, picking up Gortys gingerly and thumping away. Angel allowed herself a moment to feel bad before she pushed it aside.  
  
As she stood, she noticed a familiar device sticking out of the pocket of the bandit, half buried by rubble. She scrambled to get it, a triumphant sound escaping her lips.  
  
"Yes!" She exclaimed, pressing the ECHO device to her lips in a smacking kiss. "Okay, okay, I just need to...oh COME ON!" She shouted, growling in frustration as she examined the damaged ECHO. "REALLY? Stupid bandits and their stupid, crappy tech!"  
  
She stopped, taking a deep breath. When daddy got this mad, he threw things, and judging by the prickly feeling running down her arm, she might, too. She couldn't afford to break the ECHO even more. Not before she sent a message.  
  
Her hands shaking slightly, she typed out her message, dropping the ECHO once it was complete, allowing it to shatter on the ground.  
  
Gortys was out. Now for the others.

* * *

  
"How do you think he's doing?" Timothy asked his girlfriend as Moxxi's bar became smaller, and the sands of Pandora stretched out in front of them. Nisha was currently on driving duty, with Wilhelm manning the guns. Jack and Rhys took up seats opposite each other in the back of the cabin, with Timothy and Aurelia seated between them and the front.  
  
"He's quiet." Aurelia murmured, glancing back at the two men with a worried look in her eyes. "They both are."  
  
"Maybe you should talk to him." Timothy said gently, tilting his head towards Rhys.  
  
"I'm not exactly the comforting type, love."  
  
"But you do have experience with...family stuff?"  
  
"I don't think my experience will help here."  
  
"Try? For me?" Timothy asked, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Aurelia sighed, getting to her feet and heading back into the cabin.  
  
"Rhys, darling?"  
  
"I know you probably mean well." Rhys said quietly, not looking at her. "But I'd really rather be alone right now."  
  
"It might seem like that now." Aurelia said, sliding into the seat next to Rhys. "But trust me when I say it won't help, darling."  
  
"You don't know anything about what I'm feeling." Rhys said, no heat to his words, just grim acceptance. He just wanted this awful ordeal over. He wanted to go back to Helios, and stay in Jack’s penthouse for a solid week; just him and Jack and Angel. People who actually cared about him.  
  
"They will regret this one day, Rhys. They will look back on this moment and wonder how they could have been so blind, so cruel, so heartless to someone who did nothing but love them."  
  
"You don't know that."  
  
"I do know...because I regret acting that way to my own brother."  
  
"...I didn't know you had a brother." Rhys said at last. Aurelia shrugged sadly.  
  
"We're not close. I was cruel to him in our youth, and he has never forgiven me. I suspect he never will."  
  
"Do you miss him?"  
  
"Sometimes. He can be quite sanctimonious, but he has a good heart. I wish...things were different. That he could see me as his sister again instead of his childhood tormentor." She smiled despite herself. "he and Timothy would get along smashingly, I think."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes, they are both capable of acting like excitable children when faced with either a new gun or, in my brother's case, some horrible thing to try the gun on."  
  
Rhys laughed, the sound punched out of him by Aurelia's dry delivery. She smirked at him.  
  
"...thanks, Aurelia." Rhys said after a moment of silence. "That...that helped."  
  
"Well, don't expect it to happen again anytime soon." Aurelia said with a haughty flip of her hair. "I can't be talking about feelings and whatnot all the time, I'll lose my reputation and then where will I be?"  
  
"Still one of the richest people in the galaxy?" Rhys asked with a grin.  
  
"Well, yes. There's that." She said, returning the smile. "You need to calm him down, darling. He's losing his mind over there."  
  
"I know." Rhys said, getting to his feet. He bowed mockingly to Aurelia, stalling for a moment more. He inhaled deeply, steeling himself as he approached Jack.  
  
"Hey, handsome." Rhys murmured, sliding to his knees in front of Jack. "Are you still with us?"  
  
"Course I am. Where else would I be?" Jack said, but his hands shook and his knee was jiggling up and down. He flinched as the cabin shook, his eyes wildly flicking to the front every so often. "Don't worry about me, babe, I'm fine."  
  
"Jack."  
  
"I'm telling you, I'm fine, kitten-"  
  
"You know, it's almost cute how you think you can hide anything from me." Rhys said, stroking his hands up Jack's thighs, being especially careful with his deadly new arm.  
  
"…Yeah." Jack sighed, his head hanging. "Don't know why I bother anymore. You could always see right through me, Rhysie."  
  
"We're gonna get her back."  
  
"...what if we don't?" Jack finally asked, his voice close to breaking. "Rhys, what if we get there too late? What if she's already-"  
  
"Stop." Rhys whispered, pressing his forehead against Jack's. "Don’t think like that."  
  
"I can't lose her. Not my Angel."  
  
"You won't." Rhys said, ghosting his lips against Jack's jaw. "I promise you won't."  
  
"Rhysie."  
  
"I promise you won't." Rhys repeated, sliding into the seat next to Jack, his hand raking through the CEO's hair as he guided Jack's head onto his shoulder. "We'll get her back, handsome."

* * *

  
  
Axton came to groggily, his head pounding and the uncomfortable tacky feeling of blood drying down his neck.  
  
"What the...son of a…ow." Axton groaned, rolling his head on his shoulders, surveying his surrounding with blurry green eyes. "Where...Angel!" He gasped, his eyes snapping open wide. "Angel!"  
  
No one responded, not the two women slumped unconscious in the corner that were practically like sisters to him, not the little girl he was supposed to protect with his life. He growled agitatedly, trying to remember how they got into this terrible situation.  
  
" _Fuck_ , Jack is going to kill me." Axton groaned, his head hanging. He wouldn't blame Jack either; if he was in Jack's shoes, he would have lost his shit as soon as the shuttle had begun to veer off course.  
  
Axton knew where he stood in Handsome Jack's eyes. He was a trained killer, a semi-obedient soldier who managed to earn enough of his begrudging trust to be promoted to this position. Handsome Jack wasn’t a saint by any stretch of the imagination, but he paid well, and aside from having him kill anyone who threatened Angel’s safety, he never asked Axton to do anything he wouldn’t already do. Axton also knew where he stood with Angel. She was a good kid, who didn't deserve any of this madness. She was sweet and smart and Axton was going to enjoy killing whoever had dared to take her from her home.  
  
Axton grunted, trying to pull against his restraints to no avail. "God damnit..."  
  
"Axton?" A familiar voice whispered from around a corner.  
  
"Ange?"  
  
"Axton!" Angel whispered, head poking out from the corner. "Axton, is that you?" She spotted him at last, a grin stretching her dry cracked lips.  
  
"How...how did you?"  
  
"One second." She called, raising her hands and glowing brightly before running headlong at the bars. Axton didn't even have a chance to yell before she was phasing through, her pace not stopping until she was at Axton’s feet.  
  
"Are you ok?" She asked, her eyes tracking all over the commando's face.  
  
"That's my line, munchkin." Axton said weakly, his mouth agape. "How did you...Did they hurt you, princess?" Axton asked, changing the question halfway through as he took in her disheveled appearance, the red dust covering her whole body.  
  
"No, did they hurt you?" she asked, like that was more important than anything else.  
  
"Nothin’ I can't handle, little lady." Axton said, grunting as he tested the bindings on his hands. "Hey, uh, Angel, sweetheart, I know this is a lot to ask, but you think you could use your...special mojo to get me out of these restraints?"  
  
"...I don't know if I can do it again for a little bit." She said, sounding so disappointed with herself. “I’m sorry, I only just figured out I could do that, and I don’t want to hurt you-”  
  
"Alright then. Axton said, trying to sound supportive. "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
He heard her sniffling softly, and his heart clenched uncomfortably. "Hey, don't cry, sweetheart, it'll be okay."  
  
"The people that took us, they..." She swallowed and tried again. "They..."  
  
"What, hon?"  
  
"They hurt Gortys. They hurt her." Angel sobbed. "They hurt Gortys, and now she's...I sent her away. I didn't let her choose I just..."  
  
"They _what_?" Axton growled, his vision turning red around the edges. Angel had put her whole heart into that little robot, and Gaige had confided in him the robot’s true purpose a long time ago. Angel had built the little robot to be her friend, one that wasn’t paid by her father to protect her. "Oh, I hope Jack leaves _someone_ alive for me to kill..." He muttered under his breath. They were all going to suffer for this.  
  
"Axton?"  
  
"Yeah, princess?"  
  
"Daddy's coming for us, right?" she asked hesitantly. Axton blinked.  
  
"Sweetheart, if your daddy isn't already on his way here, I'll eat my shoes. And you know how bad my feet smell."  
  
Angel giggled weakly, and even Axton cracked a smile.  
  
"Aw, look. The little brat thinks she can break them out and save the day." A voice crooned from behind them. Angel whirled around to see a bandit holding a knife to Gaige's neck, another bandit training her gun on Maya's head. “Too bad she forgot to clean up her mess.”  
  
"No!"  
  
"Oh yes." The bandit sneered, cocking the gun. "Come quietly, or the two of them die."  
  
"Angel, don't." Axton growled. The bandit snickered, pressing the knife against Gaige’s neck and drawing a fat bead of blood.

“Have it your way, commando.”  
  
"Stop!" Angel shouted. "I'll go with you, I won't fight, just don't hurt them!"  
  
"Angel, no!" Axton snarled, fighting anew to get free. He couldn’t let her do this.  
  
"Please. Don't hurt anyone." Angel said, ignoring Axton.  
  
"You'll come quietly?" the bandit asked.  
  
"Yes, I promise."  
  
"Very good. But-" in a flash, the bandit threw something at her, sending her stumbling back against the wall. Choking slightly, she touched at the thing encircling her neck, feeling nothing but smooth metal and rivets. "Excuse me if I don't believe you."  
  
"What the hell did you-!"  
  
"Call it insurance." The bandit sneered, waving a small controller. "A little guarantee that you'll behave, brat." He pointed the remote at her. "One step out of line, and you'll have this to look forward to."  
  
He pressed the button and Angel screamed as the collar electrocuted her, pain racing up and down her spine. When he released her, she collapsed, sobbing quietly while her hands twitched with aftershocks.  
  
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!" Axton roared, pulling against his chains so hard they cut into the skin of his wrists as his vision turned red and blood ran down his arms. "WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU'RE GONNA WISH YOU WERE DEAD, ASSWIPES!"  
  
"I don't think I will, commando. But the thought is admirable." He mused as he approached Angel, using the collar as a handhold to drag her to her feet. "Let's go. Time to meet the boss."  
  
"Let’s go, brat." The guy in front said, jerking his gun up. "I see you move, commando, and the girl gets it."  
  
"Who are you?" Axton snarled. He memorized the sound of their voices. These ones in particular, Axton would personally see to their deaths. "What do you want with Angel?"  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?"

* * *

  
'Talk to the LoaderBot. Activation phrase: there's diamond ponies on the moon. Come get me, dad.'  
  
Rhys gasped, his ECHOeye lighting up brightly in the fading light. Jack was awake in an instant, his hand flying to his thigh holster.  
  
"Whassit?" Timothy grumbled, shielding his eyes from the piecing golden glow.  
  
"Hang on." Rhys said as he read through the notification that had popped up in his vision. "Wilhelm, stop, stop _now_!"  
  
Wilhelm slammed on the brakes, and those that hadn't braced themselves were thrown to the floor. "What the fuck, kid?" Nisha growled, but Rhys was already out the door.  
  
He scanned the heavens, his eyes flicking in every direction. Behind him, he heard his sister’s caravan come to a screeching halt, and only vaguely registered the sound of several voices yelling at him.  
  
"Rhysie?" Jack's voice cut through the frantic noise in his head, the overwhelming panic that he was wrong, that he had missed it. "Rhysie, what do you see?"  
  
"I...I don't..."  
  
"Rhysie, breathe, and tell me what’s happening."  
  
"Angel, she...she sent a message to me, somehow, I...I don't know what she means..."  
  
"Angel contacted you?" Jack sounded so hopeful, so relieved. "What did she say?"  
  
"She...she..." Rhys swallowed, his lungs burning, like he couldn't get enough air in them. "She called me..."  
  
A crash echoed across the empty dark desert, sending all of them scrambling for their guns.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Nisha muttered, her eyes darting around her as she pressed her back against Wilhelm’s while Timothy did the same with Aurelia.  
  
"There!" Rhys pointed, his ECHOeye locking onto a flashing red light in the distance. "Come on!" He shouted, running towards the light as fast as his legs could carry him.  
  
"Rhys!" Jack shouted, running after him, the rest of their party following close behind.  
  
Rhys paused behind an outcropping of rock, his heart pounding in his throat as he peered over, spotting a large shape in an impact crater. Turning on his night vision with a blink, he realized that the shape was actually two shapes, one large and hulking, one small, round and very familiar.  
  
"Gortys!" Rhys gasped, vaulting over the rocks and running to the two robots.  
  
"Halt! Identify yourself!" The loader bot barked, closing up tightly around the little round robot.  
  
"What the hell?" Wilhelm muttered, coming to a halt behind Rhys. "Never seen a Loader do this before. Jackie?"  
  
"Oh-ho-ho, that's my clever girl." Jack laughed, his eyes shining with a manic pride. "That's my brilliant, clever baby girl." He strolled past Rhys, his arms spread wide. "Hey, Elbie! Remember me?"  
  
"Scanning." The robot said, its single red eye focusing with a whir. "Hello, Handsome Jack, sir. It is good to see a familiar face."  
  
"Jack, what the hell is going on?"  
  
"See, when Angel was little...well, littler, she had this fear of LoaderBots. Thought they were...I dunno, scary looking or somethin’. To fix that, I put a ghost program in every single LoaderBot that I made, one only she could activate. It wipes a Loader’s previous programming and uploads a friendly personality. She named it Elbie. You know, L-B. Loader Bot." Jack shrugged. "Not her best name, but..."  
  
"I was told to give you her, sir." Elbie interrupted, handing Gortys out to a bewildered Jack.  
  
"What am I supposed to do with this? She never told me how to turn her on!"  
  
"Give her to me." Rhys said, taking Gortys. "There's diamond ponies on the moon."  
  
"What the hell does that m-" Jack began to ask before with a beep, Gortys expanded, revealing her charred and sparking interior.  
  
"Hi, R-Rhys." Gortys said, her voice glitching slightly. "I f-found you."  
  
"Gortys, what happened to you?"  
  
"Angel m-made me shut down. She made me go so they wouldn't g-get me. She w-wouldn't come with me."  
  
"God damnit, Angel." Rhys muttered, putting the robot on the ground as gently as possible. "Where are they?"  
  
"I saved the location. I can l-lead you there." Her spindly hands wrapping around his tie, and she hid her face panel in his shirt. "I f-failed my objective. I didn't stay with her. I didn't p-protect her."  
  
"Is she alright? Did they hurt her?" Rhys asked, voicing the question on everyone’s mind.  
  
"Not b-before I left."

The whole group sighed in relief.  
  
"Tell us everything you know, honey."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. Sorry this is so late, I've had a lot going on, thank you so much for sticking with me, I haven't abandoned this story, I promise. I hope you have a lovely weekend, and if you could send me good creative vibes in the form of comments, that'd be amazing.  
> Love and Kisses!


	30. Chapter 30

_"God damnit...FIONA!" August shouted, struggling to carry an unconscious Rhys into the three con artists’ ramshackle safe house. "FIONA, Help me!"_  
  
_"What the shit, August, why are you shouting at this hour-Rhys?!" Fiona yelped, her bleary eyed demeanor disappearing as she saw the broken body of her foster brother in the brawler's arms. "What the hell happened?"_  
  
_"What do you think? Ma happened." August said, grimacing as Sasha stepped into the room, awoken by the ruckus.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing-Rhys?" Sasha shrieked, darting forward to help Fiona clear off a table, hovering over as August lowered Rhys' limp body onto the table. His nose was a bloody mess, the cartilage broken at an odd angle, and the skin around his human eye was bruised and swollen. His lip was bloodied and cut, trails of crimson drying at the corners of his mouth. His clothes were riddled with patches of blood-soaked and singed cloth. He would raise hell about that when he woke up.  
  
If he woke up.  
  
"Rhys, Rhys can you hear me? RHYS?" Fiona called desperately, slapping his cheek as lightly as she could. "Come on, big bro, open your eyes!"_  
  
_"Don't you have a healing hypo or something?" August asked, his normally carefree attitude replaced with panic.  
  
"Don't have the money. We're behind on bills for everything, why the hell do you think he took this job?" Sasha snapped, shoving August back against a wall roughly. "You're supposed to protect him from getting hurt! Isn't that your fucking job?"  
  
"What am I supposed to do against Ma? Rhys screwed up! He messed up the exchange, and Ma took ten million dollars out of his hide!"_  
  
_"So you just let her do this?"  
  
"Believe me, she wouldn't have stopped at this if I hadn't convinced her that we need him." August snapped, looming over Sasha as much as he could. "What do you care anyway? It's not like you've spoken six words to him since-"  
  
"What, a girl’s not allowed to feel angry at her brother after he murdered our father?"  
  
"It was a year ago, get over it! Pandora's not kind enough to let us grieve. You bury it, you move on, and you don't take it out on family!"_  
  
_"What the fuck do you know about family?!" Sasha shouted, tears streaming down her face. "Felix was more family than Vallory will ever be. At least Felix never did this!" She gestured at Rhys._  
  
"STOP IT! Fiona shouted, cutting through their argument. "We need to get him medicine. Come on."

 _“Will he be okay while we’re gone?” Sasha asked as she grabbed_ _a gun off a shelf._

 _“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Sash.” Fiona reassured her as she ushered her sister out of the door and into the night._  
  
\---  
  
_Rhys awoke confused, in pain, and utterly alone. He looked around through his blurry echo eye. "Fi? Sash?" He called, hoping that they would answer but not expecting it. There was no reply, and a little piece of his heart shriveled._  
  
_That was it. It was one thing to ignore him when he was just trying to help, it was another thing entirely to leave him on the table in pain and just...  
  
He bit back a sob, reaching into his trouser pocket and drawing out a thin data stick, quickly inserting it into his neural port with a wince, his eye lighting up as he access the codes on the drive and uploaded them to his system. Ten million dollars in untraceable credits, his to do with as he wished.  
  
It was going to take a lot of dough to get off this planet._  
  
\----  
  
"Rhys?"  
  
Rhys started awake, his yelp of surprise muffled by Jack’s hand. "We're here." Jack said curtly.  
  
Rhys swallowed dryly, nodding and following Jack out into the bright sun. The rest of the team stood at the ready, tensely checking their weapons as they awaited orders.  
  
"Jack, what do we do?"  
  
"Knowing Damon, he's gonna keep Angel as protected as he can. There's gonna be a lot of bodies between us and her. My vault hunters and I are gonna go in and do our best to thin the herd, give you newbs the time to search the complex and find my daughter." Jacks face screwed up as if he had just taken a bite out of something very bitter before he turned to Rhys.  
  
"Rhys, go with the newbs."  
  
"Hell no-" Sasha began, but Jack fixed her with a deadly glare.  
  
"I don't trust you. You're with Moxxi, who betrayed me twice, and you've done nothing but harass Rhys since you showed up. I don't want to do this to him, but chances are you'll find Angel down there, and I will be _damned_ if I let my baby around anyone I don't trust." He turned to look at Rhys and even under the pain, the fear and the anger, there was a softness reserved only for Rhys and Angel. "Rhys has my full and complete trust. Unequivocally. He goes with you. You answer to him."  
  
Sasha opened her mouth to argue some more before Fiona shot her a look and she clenched her jaw shut. The two of them turned and began walking away, August  following a moment later.  
  
"I'm sorry." Jack murmured. Rhys shook his head.  
  
"Don't be. You have good reasons." Rhys replied. "I'll be fine."  
  
"Alright. Need anything?"  
  
"Just this." Rhys said, grabbing at Jack's vest with his human hand and pulling him close for a hard, short, desperate kiss. "Don't die."  
  
"Right back ‘atcha, babe."  
  
\---  
  
Angel quickly learned that struggling against the bandits dragging her wasn’t a good use of her limited strength. They were stronger, and she didn’t have the advantage of surprise this time. So she let them drag her up several flights of roughly hewn stairs, tripping over her feet and trying to take in as many details as possible.

By the time they reached their destination, Angel was confident that she could return the way she had come once she escaped. Then she could grab Axton and Maya and Gaige and get them out-  
  
"You must be Angel." A man said as Angel was forced into a chair in the center of the room, more structured than any other place she had seen, as if this were truly meant to be a room and not something repurposed into a room.  
  
"You must be Father Damon. The guy with a death wish." Angel growled, trying and failing to look at Damon’s face. He had positioned himself so that his face was hidden in the shadows, and all Angel could see was the body of a man, large and thick with muscle. "You must be the stupidest person in the galaxy, mister, if you think you can hide me from my daddy."  
  
"Oh, I have no intention of hiding you at all, my dear. Unlike your father, I want you to embrace the gifts you've been given." The man said, his face still hidden in shadow. "You have no idea about the power you hold in you, little angel."  
  
"You don't know anything about me, and when my daddy gets here, he's gonna-"  
  
"I rather think I do know you, dear. After all, you are my granddaughter."  
  
Angel froze. "...what?"  
  
"Your father never told you about me, did he?" Damon said confidently, rising from his chair and circling Angel’s chair slowly, moving carefully so that she couldn’t get a look at his face. "That doesn't surprise me. He always was a selfish child, too concerned with power to think about his family."  
  
Angel clenched her fists, hot tears brimming behind her eyes. She barely listened to Damon as he spoke, droning on and on about destiny and potential and a new world, too focused on the way her blood was pounding in her ears.  
  
"...and you, my granddaughter, are the key to everything. You are the miracle we've been waiting for." Damon crouched in front of her, finally revealing his grotesquely scarred face. "What do you say, my dear? Shall we build a new world together?" He asked, his mouth stretched into a macabre smile.  
  
Angel looked at him, her mouth set in a grim line. Then she gathered all the moisture left in her mouth and spat directly in his working eye.  
  
"Fuck you." She snarled, her lips clumsy around words never spoken but deadly serious. "I'd never help the man who killed my mom and stole me from my family. I hope my daddy tortures you for weeks before he ends your life."  
  
Damon grimaced, wiping the spit from his eye before backhanding her so hard the chair was thrown off balance. She was unconscious before she hit the floor.  
  
'Worth it.' She thought viciously before she passed out.  
  
\---  
  
"Cover me." Rhys murmured to his companions as he made his way down another corridor, his ECHOeye filling in the curves of rock from out of the shadows, scanning for any signs of life.  
  
"You don't get to give me orders-" Sasha began, and really that was the last straw.  
  
"Oh my god, Sasha, now is not the time for this. People's lives are in danger." Rhys hissed.  
  
"What people? Heartless, corporate scumbags like you?" She hissed. "More murderers who ruin everything they touch?"  
  
"You want to do this now? Fine. Let's hash this out now." Rhys snapped, turning on his heel. "You're right. I'm not sorry Felix is dead. I'm not sorry I killed him. He was planning on abandoning all of us, because we weren't good enough for him anymore. I saw an opportunity, I took it, and so I got us out before he could leave the three of us on the street again. I admit I made a mistake when I went to Vallory for help. I brought more trouble on us by doing that, but I kept you two alive, and no matter how much you hate me for what I did, I'm never going to regret my actions. There. Are you happy?"  
  
"You don't know that he was going to abandon us." Sasha said after a moment, shaken by Rhys outburst. "You're...you're just trying to come up with a story to justify-"  
  
"It's true." August interrupted. "Ma was planning on picking you guys up after he left. Rhys just beat us to the punch."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Everything he did, he did to protect you. He worked for Ma for years, taking jobs no one else wanted to keep you safe. He arranged for your protection when...when he had to leave."  
  
"Why did you leave?" Fiona asked quietly. "Why did you leave us?"  
  
"You didn't care what I had done for you. I was getting beat within an inch of my life, doing things no one should ever have to do, and neither of you would even look at me most days. What did you expect would happen?"  
  
"Rhys-"  
  
"I wasn't going to stand there and let you hate me while I sacrificed everything for you. So I made arrangements for you and I left. Isn't that what you wanted? To be rid of me?"  
  
"No." Fiona said. "We just...we needed time. Felix was like our father-"  
  
"That son of a bitch was never a father. He used us, we were just tools to him. He didn't care about us, just his next big score."  
  
"And Vallory was any better?"  
  
"What do you care? You didn't give a rat's ass what happened to me. You went out and did God knows what while I bled out on our goddamn kitchen table."  
  
"That's not true."  
  
"Isn't it? ‘Cause that's _exactly_ how I remember it. Waking up in a pool of my own blood, completely alone."  
  
"Rhys-"  
  
"Rhys?" Gaige's hopeful, teary voice called out. "Rhys, is that you?" Before anyone could blink, Rhys was instantly moving forward, his conversation with his sisters all but forgotten.  
  
"Gaige?" he called out, feeling the plates on his arm recalibrating as he scanned for threats  
  
"Over here!" She waved her hand through a set of bars. Rhys darted over to her, leaving August and his sisters scrambling to keep up. "Hurry!"  
  
"I'm here, sweetheart." Rhys said, reaching through the bars and holding her hand tightly, his eyes scanning the bars, searching for weaknesses. "We're gonna get you out in a second."  
  
"Rhys, something's wrong with Maya. They gave her some kind of shot, I can't wake her up, and I don't know what they did with Axton-"  
  
"Shh, calm down." Rhys murmured, brushing away a tear from her face. "I'm here, and you're gonna be just fine. Stand back, honey."  
  
Gaige scrambled away as much as she could, and Rhys stood up to his full height, activating a few choice protocols with his ECHOeye. In the next instant, a ball of pure condensed energy formed in the palm of his hand, melting through the rusty bars with ease as he passed his hand through them. Within moments, he had created a person sized hole in the bars, and was stepping through.  
  
Gaige immediately dove into his arms, her body shaking with relief. "I'm so glad you're here, Rhys."  
  
"Wouldn't leave my favorite mechanic out in the desert." Rhys said, hugging her tightly and instantly noticing a certain feature missing from the girl.  
  
"What'd they do to your arm, sweetheart?" Rhys asked, cold fury bubbling into his chest as he stared at her empty side. "Tell me who did this to you. I'll rip _both_ their arms off."  
  
"Don't worry about me." Gaige said, wiping her eyes. "Maya-"  
  
"Where is she?" Rhys asked. Gaige pointed to a dark corner where Maya lay on her back, a frown creasing her brow even in unconsciousness.  
  
"I've tried for hours, she won't wake up."  
  
Rhys went to her side, scanning quickly. "Fuck. I've got nothing, whatever they used must be some new form of hell this planet has come up with."  
  
"What do we do, Rhys?" Gaige asked. Rhys sighed, his hand going up to his earpiece.  
  
"August, help me carry her. Jack, can you hear me?"  
  
Nothing but static reached his ears. "Damnit." Rhys cursed, turning to Gaige as August clambered through the hole in the bars. "Which way did they take Axton, honey?"  
  
\---  
  
They found Axton barely clinging to life, strapped onto a stone slab as a pair of robed, laughing guards slowly cut into him. He was only semiconscious, a combination of pain and drugs putting him in a hazy state where nothing was real and everything hurt.  
  
Rhys took care of the two guards with extreme prejudice, eliminating them with a few vicious swipes of his battle arm.  
  
"Axton?" Rhys whispered, lightly slapping his face with his flesh hand as he leaned over the commando's body, angling his blood-drenched arm away from him. "Axton!"  
  
"Is he...dead?" Gaige sobbed quietly, walking in behind Rhys.  
  
"No, he's breathing." Rhys assured her. "Anyone got another healing hypo?”

August tossed him the pink syringe, which Rhys plunged into Axton’s neck as he began tearing off the manacles attaching the soldier to the slab. He had just finished the final chain when Axton began to stir, his eyes focusing with difficulty on Rhys.  
  
"Hey Rhys." Axton groaned, his lips cracked parting in a bloody grin. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."  
  
"Quit lazying about, soldier." Rhys snarked back, gripping the shirt covering commando’s chest with his new arm as he easily lifted him off the slab  
  
"Shiny." Axton grunted in approval, allowing Rhys to support his weight as he stood. "Looks good on you."  
  
"Thanks." Rhys said, scanning him and checking for internal injuries. "What happened?"  
  
"Well, you know me. My big mouth is always getting me into trouble. Knew you and Jack were on your way though. Figured all I had to do was wait it out. And I was right." Axton smiled before groaning in pain.  
  
"Gaige, take Maya. August, help me with Axton. You need to get the three of them out and back to the convoy."  
  
"But-" Gaige began.  
  
"No buts!" Rhys snapped, his voice crisp and in control. "Maya and Axton need medical attention, and Gaige, you're the only one with access codes to Opportunity. I'll stay here and meet up with Jack. We'll find Angel and we'll bring her home, okay?" Rhys held Gaige's face, rubbing her tears away. "You'll see us before you know it."  
  
"Promise?" Gaige asked. Rhys smiled, kissing her on the forehead.  
  
"I promise." He repeated. "Now get out of here before anyone sees you."  
  
Gaige nodded, and ducked to follow August carrying Axton out of the room. Rhys turned to his sisters, leveling them with a cold stare.  
  
"If anything happens to them-" he began.  
  
"Did you really think we abandoned you that night?" Fiona asked, her voice hoarse with emotion and her eyes shiny with tears. "Did you really think we just left you on the table to die? We went out to get you medicine."  
  
"By the time we had anything that could have helped you, you were gone." Sasha added. " _You_ abandoned _us_."  
  
"You hadn't spoken to me in weeks, and then you disappeared when I needed you most." Rhys replied. "I had always been there. It was you who decided to care too late."  
  
"We didn't know." Sasha insisted, and Rhys was surprised to see tears in her eyes as well.  
  
"You didn't want to know. There's a difference." Rhys said, trying desperately to stay detached, to not feel hopeful that maybe…maybe they did love him.  
  
"You could have told us."  
  
"I tried. How many times did I try to explain myself only to have you two shut a door in my face or walk away from me?" Rhys asked, trying to dredge up all the past hurt, to shut down his stupid bleeding heart before it could be ripped out again.  
  
"We..." Fiona began, her voice catching in her throat.  
  
"We're sorry, Rhys." Sasha said at last. "We're _sorry_."  
  
"Sash..."  
  
"I want my brother back." She hiccupped, the tears falling freely now. "I fucking _miss_ him."  
  
"I miss him." Fiona added, crying as well.  
  
It took several moments for their words to sink in, and a few more for Rhys to make his shocked muscles move so he could crush his sisters in a fierce hug.  
  
"I missed you, too."  
  
They held each other for a long moment before a crash echoed above them.  
  
"Go." Rhys said, leading them out. "We'll be right behind you. Make sure they get to Opportunity safely."  
  
"Good luck." Fiona whispered as she darted down the corridor, Sasha following close behind.

She turned back after a few moments to throw her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek and whispering, “If you die, I will kill you.”

Rhys watched them go with a smile until they faded into the shadows before turning around and making his way deeper into the complex, his heart lighter than it had been in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Anyone remember me?  
> So there's going to be about two more chapters that I am going to desperately try to finish before I leave for my externship in August, and free time becomes a thing of the past. So send me some good vibes that I can finish this, guys!  
> Love and Kisses!


	31. Chapter 31

Angel came to, her head pounding and a buzzing in her ears. It took a moment for her to realize that the pounding was synchronized with a slow, ominous drumbeat that seemed to echo all around her.  
  
"Oh no..." She groaned, trying not to jangle the chains holding her to a pillar. She was gonna have a complex about waking up in unfamiliar places after this, she could just feel it. She carefully looked up without moving her head. Damon was standing over her, holding a strange cone shaped object that glowed faintly purple. Just looking at it made Angel want to vomit.  
  
' _Daddy, I hate to admit it, but now would be a really great time for you to save me._ ' She thought as the drumbeat sped up to a fever pitch.  


* * *

  
"Clear." Nisha drawled, her voice coming loud and clear into Jack's earpiece. "Nothin’ on this side, hon."  
  
"All clear on this side, too." Timothy added. Jack growled under his breath, his hands tightening around the barrel of his gun. Three hours and they had barely seen a sign of anyone. The compound was built like a maze, and it had taken nearly an hour of wandering around before they had even realized they were going in circles.  
  
"How are you doing, darling?" Aurelia asked suddenly, a rare note of concern in her voice.  
  
"I'm fine." Jack snarled. "Just focus on your jobs."  
  
"I only ask because Rhys would ask." She said, not unkindly. "He's very good at knowing when you've worked yourself up into a mood."  
  
"I am not in a mood, Hammerlock. I am so far past the vicinity of being in a mood, but since you brought it up, let me put it in a way you'll understand." Jack growled. "Shut up and find my daughter if you want to continue breathing. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"What exactly do you think we're doing, hon?" Nisha snapped. "You think we don't want Angel safe? Fuck you, Jack. You're not the only one who loves her. Do you think any of us would be here if we didn't want to be?"  
  
"Nisha, leave him alone, he lost his daughter-"  
  
"He hasn't lost anything yet! She was taken, and we're getting her back, because if anything happens to that little girl, I'm going to personally hold this entire planet responsible! They are not going to do anything to my munchkin, because _I_ won't let them! And Jack, if you don't think that every single person on this team feels the same way, then you are delusional. So stop treating us like the enemy and TRUST US!"  
  
"I DO TRUST YOU, DAMMIT! THAT’S THE _PROBLEM_!" Jack shouted. "EVERY TIME I TRUST SOMEONE, IT BITES ME IN THE ASS, AND I AM DOING MORE TRUSTING RIGHT NOW THAN I'VE DONE, POSSIBLY _EVER_!"  
  
"Jack-"  
  
"I'm trusting you to find my daughter. I'm trusting Rhys not to get himself killed. I'm trusting whatever governs the universe to change its habit of fucking me over so that I don't lose _everything_ that means something to me! If just one of those things goes wrong, if we fail any part of this mission, I...I..."  
  
"Jack..."  
  
"Despite everything, I do trust you. That's what scares me." Jack said lowly, stubbornly not looking at any of them.  
  
"Jack, listen..." Timothy began.  
  
"Shut up." Jack said, cutting Timothy off before he could begin.  
  
"No, really, Jack-"  
  
" _Quiet_! Do you hear that?" He hissed, slapping a hand over Timothy's mouth.  
  
They all fell silent, listening intently. And sure enough, they could hear a frantic drumbeat echoing down a tunnel to the left.  
  
"Come on." Jack said, leading the way. ' _I'm coming, baby. Daddy's on his way._ '

* * *

"Today, my children, is a glorious day. Today, we change the future. Today, we redeem this planet. Today, we hold the power of the universe in our hands and remake the world as our own!"  
  
The crowd standing on the platform below the dais exploded into cheers, their voices echoing hellishly against the walls. The sweat beaded on Angel’s forehead, rolling down her nose to drip onto the floor. There was a pressure against her mind that made her queasy, one that intensified every time she looked at the purple thing in Damon's hands. It was...akin to when she was sick, how she had not wanted to vomit, but felt like she would feel better if she did. It was confusing and disconcerting, and more than anything she wanted to be home.  
  
"Are you ready, my child?" Damon said, drawing her out of her reverie. "Are you ready to change the world?"  
  
"I won't do it." Angel said defiantly, glaring up at him. "You can't make me."  
  
"On the contrary, my dear. I can do whatever I wish with you." Damon said with a cruel smile, holding the thing out to her, chuckling as she tried to squirm away. "Time for the fireworks." He murmured, fishing out a remote from his pocket and pressing a button.  
  
Angel screamed as the collar activated, her eyes and tattoos glowing white as it sent currents of unfamiliar energy throughout her body. Almost immediately, she felt something inside her wake up, like a limb she hadn't fully realized was there. The power within her fought against the current, trying to defend itself against whatever Damon was doing to her. She opened shining eyes to see swirls of pearly white light spiraling into the purple key, its sick glow growing brighter by the second  
  
"Yes! YES!" Damon cried, the glow of the vault key shining in his eyes. "RISE FELL BEAST! CLEANSE THIS WORLD OF ROT AND DECAY, AND WE WILL BUILD A NEW WORLD FROM THE ASHES!"  
  
Angel couldn't breathe through the power being dragged from her, from the little well of light that boiled over whenever she was mad, the one that made her feel strong and special.  
  
He didn't deserve her light. It's wasn't his. She tried to hold back the tidal wave of power, putting all of herself in between it and the key, and slowly it dwindled back to a trickle. But the damage had already been done. Damon took the glowing key and inserted it into the floor. Everyone in the room watched in amazement and horror as a fissure erupted in the middle of the chamber, a gargantuan beast barreling through it, sinking into the lava with a giant deadly splash.  
  
"Tell it to obey me, child!" Damon commanded, a mad light shining in his eyes.  
  
"No! I won't let you hurt innocent people!" Angel shouted weakly, pulling on her chains with as much vigor as she could muster. If she could just get over to where the key was, she could stop it, or break it or something! She had to do _something_ -  
  
The ground shook underneath her, and she had never been more scared in her life, but she wasn't about to let that monster destroy this world.  
  
She honestly didn't know whether she meant the monster in the lava, or the man in front of her.  
  
"I won't let you do this!"  
  
"DO AS YOU'RE TOLD!" Damon snarled, pressing a button on his controller. Angel screamed as powerful electricity coursed through her again, her legs giving out beneath her. "FULFILL YOUR DESTINY! SUMMON THE WARRIOR'S POWER! DESTROY THIS WORLD!!"  
  
"NO, I WON’T! YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!" She screamed, but her cries were barely heard over the roar of the creature, who pulled itself out of the lava and climbed up the cliff side, its claws digging into the rock with ease.  
  
Angel looked up through her tears at the great beast as it loomed over her, her limbs still twitching from the shockwaves. "Please don't kill me." She whispered to the beast. Images of Maya, Axton, Gaige, and all of her caretakers flashed through her mind. She thought of Rhys, and of her father, and swallowed back a sob. "I have a family. They need me."  
  
The Warrior circled around her, invading her in a cocoon of almost unbearable heat. It lowered its colossal head to stare at her, its six inky black eyes fixed on her. She closed her eyes, not noticing that her tattoos had begun to glow.  
  
The room shook ominously as the beast growled, moving so close to Angel that she could feel the searing heat of its flesh, but not enough to harm her. It cocked its head.  
  
_Family?_  
  
Angel's eyes blinked open, and she looked up in shock. "Did you just-"  
  
_Where family, little one?_  
  
Angel gasped. The beast had taken the images of her family from her mind, arranging them around her in its mind, associating the two together. It was like it wanted to make sure it didn't hurt anyone she cared about.  
  
"They're...my family is coming for me. I was taken."  
  
_Bad people?_  
  
"Yes. Very bad."  
  
_Like cage._  
  
Images of...what Angel could only assume was the inside of the vault assaulted her mind. A hellscape of fire and rock that somehow felt...cozy.  
  
But lonely. Isolated.  
  
"Why were..." She looked up, reaching out a hand to the beast. "Where is your family?"  
  
_Lost. Left. Stay here. Wait._  
  
Images of...alien beings, armored, adorned with wings stretching out behind them. Petting the Warrior, feeding it...eggs that were too bright to look at, and strange purple blocks. Warm. Safe.  
  
They put the Warrior in the cage, and Warrior waited.  
  
"They left you here?" Angel asked.  
  
_Waiting. Come back soon._  
  
"But they didn't. They left you here..." Angel suddenly felt a crushing sadness weigh on her chest. "Oh, you poor thing. You're not a monster. You're lonely."  
  
_Family?_  
  
"They're gone. They left. They're not here."  
  
_Little one. Family. Baby._  
  
"Baby?" She repeated, confused. "I don't understand-"  
  
It nudged its snout forward.  
  
_Little one. Family._  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU STUPID CHILD?" Damon roared, shocking her again. "TELL IT TO OBEY ME!"  
  
Angel screamed and the beast roared with her in fury, its wrath turning on the man hurting her. It used its tail to swipe at him, sending him flying off the dais and into the carnage below.  
  
Angel sobbed, feeling the skin under her collar sizzle slightly. It hurt, more than anything she had ever felt before. She hated this planet. She wanted to be home.  
  
_Little one?_  
  
Warrior breathed over her, its breath warm and sulfurous, a low rumbling whine emanating from its throat.  
  
"I want to go home, Warrior." She sobbed. "I want to be with my family. I want them to be safe and with me."  
  
_Home?_  
  
"Please. I just want to go home."  
  
Warrior rumbled lowly, bending close to her and resting its huge head on the ground in front of her. She watched in awe as it closed its eyes, a purple light beginning to glow from beneath one of its shale like, rocky scales. At Warrior’s insistence, she reached out, touching the glowing scale hesitantly.  
  
Instantly her mind was full of dazzling, bright, lifelike images. She saw a Pandora, green and beautiful, with glowing purple crystals sprouting out from the surface as far as the eye could see. She saw beasts like Warrior and those winged alien angels walking across the planet’s surface, shining cities and amazing monoliths stretching toward the sky.  
  
Then something changed. Suddenly, everyone was leaving, putting things in glowing dimensional doors and flying away, nervous, anxious. What was coming? Where was everyone going?  
  
Then...nothing. Ten thousand years in a dimensional cage, no idea of what happened, where everyone went, or how much the world had changed in the time since.  
  
"Oh Warrior..." Angel breathed when the images faded, leaving spots of color on her eyes as she looked up. "You've been alone for so long."  
  
_But not anymore._ Warrior replied, it's voice a deep rumble in her mind as the connection between girl and beast strengthened. _You have freed me, Little One. That must mean you have a touch of the Old Ones inside you.  
_  
"Because I'm a siren?"  
  
_Will you help me find my family, Little Old One?_  
  
"Of course I will." Angel said, and laughed when she felt Warrior’s joy course through her psyche.  
  
She suddenly became aware of all of the sounds pressing in from outside her conversation with Warrior. Gunfire and explosions, screams of the dying and shouts of the victorious echoed around her, as well as one very familiar voice.  
  
"Angel!"  
  
She blinked, her head swiveling as she liked around. "Daddy?"  
  
"Where the hell is my daughter, you fucking bastard? Give her back!" She heard, as if her father was standing right beside her.  
  
"Daddy?" She repeated, hope blossoming in her chest. "He's here!" She pulled against her chains again. "Warrior, can you help me get free?"  
  
_Free?_ Warrior repeated, confused. _Can you not free yourself?_  
  
"Please, Warrior, there's no time! My daddy, my family needs me!"  
  
Warrior cocked its head, studying her. Finally it raised one giant claw and knocked over the obelisk she was chained to, crushing it beneath its gargantuan weight. She pulled herself free, the chains around her wrists slowing her down somewhat. She clambered to the edge of the dais, scanning the cavern for her family.  
  
There was Wilhelm, sending people flying left and right, with his two robots flying overhead and Nisha at his back, picking off incoming attackers with her two pistols. Timothy and his holographic doubles were holding the entrance, not allowing anyone to escape the massacre and calling out his cheesy catchphrases out of habit alone. Above, Aurelia sent icy bullets straight for anything coming out of the side entrances.  
  
And there was her father, locked in a firefight with three bandits while more swarmed in on him.  
  
"Daddy!" She shouted, but her father didn't hear her. "DADDY I'M UP HERE!!"  
  
There was no response. Warrior rumbled, a roar building in its chest.  
  
_Come with me, Little Old One._ The warrior nudged her with its nose. _Let us teach them what happens to those that defy us._  
  
Angel smiled.  
  
Payback time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody! Still not done with this yet, I promise! These last two chapters may come slowly, but they are coming my loves. I swear I will be finishing this story, so help me Gods of Fandom!  
> Love and Kisses!


	32. Chapter 32

Rhys crept up the passageways, the sounds of battle raging ahead of him. Keeping his back against the wall as much as possible, he activated the pocketwatch on his chest, feeling his entire body tingle as the cloak settled over him. Walking out into the fray, he surveyed the damage, his eye lighting up under the cloak.  
  
Wilhelm. Nisha. Aurelia. Timothy. All alive and taking down bandits with varying degrees of enjoyment; Nisha especially looked like she was having the time of her life. Rhys rolled his eyes and started make his way unseen across the battlefield, his finger on the trigger of his pistol. He looked up at the colossal beast on the platform, his blood running cold. His tiny little peashooter of a weapon wasn't going to do shit against that thing.  
  
He watched as it reared back, its mouth opening and a beam of purple white energy shot out of its mouth, decimating an entire squadron of bandits. Rhys spotted something on the creature's back, and activated his eye to get a closer look.  
  
"ANGEL?!"

* * *

  
Angel wasn't stupid. She had never been stupid. She knew what people said about her father. She knew about his tendencies towards violence, his quick trigger finger, his general disregard for anything other than the family he created solely for Angel’s benefit. She also knew he was the most powerful man in the universe, and if that power felt anything like riding a monster-god into battle against people who wronged you, she could see why he did the things he did to keep it.  
  
She laughed joyously as the Warrior laid waste to Damon's army, watched as she directed Warrior to the sections where her family would not be harmed, but where she and the Warrior could do the most painful damage. The connection between her and the Warrior strengthened with every kill, every request for more damage, and Angel had never felt closer to anything in the universe. It was almost like she and the Warrior were slowly becoming one entity…  
  
At a shouted order from Damon somewhere below them, the ground shook, and two laser cannons were rolled out from the lower passageways.  
  
"KILL THE BEAST!! IT HAS TURNED AGAINST US!!" Damon shouted, and Angel blanched, reaching out to the Warrior with her power.  
  
"Warrior, you have to run! They're going to kill you!" She told it, starting to clamber down from its neck. She sent it images of it flying away, escaping before the lasers could be powered up.  
  
_They can try._ The warrior chuckled inside her head, facing the lasers and roaring.  
  
"Please! I don't want anyone else to be hurt because of me!" Angel begged, finally getting to the ground and pushing on the Warriors leg. "Please, just run!"  
  
_No. I have to stay. They told me to stay here, and you promised to help me._  
  
"I don't want you to die!"  
  
_I can't die. But I can protect you, little one._ The Warrior replied, curling itself around Angel, shielding her from the laser's sight lines.  
  
"FIRE!!"  
  
"NO!" Angel screamed, as the cannons fired, the blindingly blue lasers cutting through the Warrior's hard flesh. It roared in pain, thrashing, and Angel watched as gold blood seeping out of the gash, its inner flesh too bright and purple to look at.  
  
_Protect. Danger. Little One._ The Warrior’s thoughts were jumbled as the connection weakened, taking the power she had been enjoying with it.  
  
"Please, don't die because of me!" She pleaded, her hands blistering slightly as she clung to the dangerous parts of the monster's hide. "You just got free!"  
  
_Find my family. You promised. I won't remember, but you promised, Little Old One._  
  
"I know I promised! Just hold on, and don't die, please!"  
  
_Take care of me._  
  
"No, no, no..." Angel cried, as the Warrior's voice faded from her mind, leaving an empty space she had never noticed before. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."  
  
"Yes, you are." Growled a voice from behind her as a hand wrenched her back by the hair. "You are about to be very sorry indeed."  


* * *

Jack snapped the neck of another bandit, his hands stain red with blood from where he had gouged the man's eyes out with his thumbs. Breathing heavily, he turned to face the next assailant, but one was not readily available. The red fog of rage clouding his vision abated for a moment, allowing him to really take in the carnage all around him, still warm corpses bleeding out around him, turning the red earth black and making it squelch under his boots. There was blood in his mouth, in his hair, in his eyes.  
  
Everything was red.  
  
It wasn't enough.  
  
"Daddy!" Angel screamed, her voice sounding terrified. Jack quickly scanned his surroundings, looking for his daughter, and finally spotted her being dragged away from the warrior and towards the edge of the cliff by Damon. He had an arm around her neck, and a gun pointed at her temple.  
  
"Not another step, Jack." The man warned, as Jack neared them, wiping gore streaked hands across his mouth and smearing blood over his mask as he stared them down.  
  
"Get your fucking hands OFF MY DAUGHTER!" Jack roared, his rage tinting the whole world a shade of blood.  
  
"Daddy!" Angel cried, tears sliding down her cheeks as she tried to squirm away from the gun. "Daddy, I'm scared!"  
  
"Don't be scared, sweetheart." Jack called, flexing his fingers at his sides. He was out of guns, out of weapons, and out of options, but he'd be damned if he let Angel know that. "Daddy's here."  
  
"You made a big mistake here, Jackie. You made me do this. You don't deserve this much power. NO ONE DOES!" Damon said with a maniacal grin. "Ready to watch your little girl die?"  
  
"Jack, I have a shot."  
  
Jack had never been so happy to hear Aurelia Hammerlock's voice in his life.  
  
Jack grinned back at Damon, a wide toothy bloody smile that visibly unnerved the bandit.  
  
"Ready to be rid of you." Jack said, holding his hand up and clenching it into a fist.  
  
Bang.  
  
Damon choked, blood gushing from the new hole in his throat, clutching at his own neck with wide eyes as his body slowly froze over. Jack laughed cruelly, the second hand thrill of the kill flowing through him, until Angel started to scream in terror.  
  
Damon hadn't let go of her, even in death, and as Jack watched, horrified, the laughter dying in his throat, the bandit's body slowly, so slowly, started to fall back over the cliff, taking Angel with him.  
  
"No no no NO NO NO!" Jack shouted, running as fast as he could, knowing even as he did so that he would be far too late to save her. "NO, ANGEL! NOO!!"  
  
"DADDY!" Angel screamed as she fell over the edge.  
  
The air shimmered to the left of Angel, and Rhys appeared, the pocketwatch falling over the edge as he dove forward, grabbing Angel's outstretched hand just as she went out of sight. "NO!" Rhys grunted, digging his metal fingers against the rock and holding on tight even as Angel dragged him over as well. He screamed in pain as Angel's weight dislocated his shoulder, but he somehow held on, his ECHOeye lighting up as he gave his arm a command: under no circumstances was it to let go.  
  
"I've got you, Angel." Rhys panted to the dangling girl, as Jack ran towards them at full tilt. "I've got you." He tried to pull her up, his nerves on fire and his arm in agony, but he didn't have the strength. "Hold on, baby girl. Daddy's on his way."  
  
"Rhys!" Angel cried, her hands digging bruises into Rhys' skin as she held on as tightly as she could. "Rhys, they killed the Warrior! It wasn't a superweapon at all! It was a pet!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"They put the Warrior in the vault to protect it. They were planning on coming back and those monsters killed it!" Angel sobbed. "I tried to tell it to go, but it wouldn't listen!"  
  
"What…Who’s they? What do you..." Rhys stopped speaking as they both were jolted, and Rhys looked up to see a large crack forming around the ledge he was holding on to. "Shit, no, no-"  
  
"Rhys? What's wrong?"  
  
"JACK!" Rhys shouted as the rock began to crumble even further under his hand. "JACK, HURRY!"  
  
"Rhys?!"  
  
"Everything's gonna be fine, baby." Rhys said, trying to keep the panic from his voice as he assessed his situation. "Angel, I need you to try and climb up here, okay? Climb up my arm."  
  
"Will it hurt you?"  
  
"Angel, please, do as I ask." Rhys ordered, gritting his teeth as he braced himself for the pain. As she obeyed, Rhys bit back his screams, his teeth slicing through his lip as he struggled to keep silent. When she was finally holding onto his neck, her legs wrapped around his torso, he allowed himself one shuddering breath.  
  
"There you go, there's a good girl." Rhys said, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he panted harshly. "Okay hon, do you see that part of my arm that sticks out? I want you to hold onto that as tight as you can, alright? No matter what happens, do not let go of that."  
  
"What are you doing, Rhys?" She asked, frightened. "Rhys, are you going to do something bad?" Rhys grimaced. He should have guessed she'd figure it out.  
  
"The rock is crumbling, baby, we're too heavy. If it comes to it, I'm going to disengage my arm, and you're going to hold on."  
  
"No, you can't!"  
  
"Angel, it's okay."  
  
"No, there has to be another way!"  
  
"I'm so proud of you, baby girl." He praised, tears welling up in his eyes. "I-"  
  
"Shut UP!" She shouted, her eyes beginning to glow white. "You're not doing this, I won't let you!"  
  
"Angel, what are you doing?" Rhys asked, frantic as her tattoos began to glow as well. "Angel, stop-!"  
  
"I won't let them take you away from me, _I will not lose another parent!_ "  
  
"Angel, don't-!" Rhys began, but the damage was already done. In the time they had been arguing, the rock had crumbled too much, and with a horrifying crack, broke under their weight, just as Jack's panicked face came into view.  
  
"RHYS! ANGEL!" Jack roared, his hand outstretched as if he could will them to defy gravity, watching them as they fell.  
  
Rhys closed his eyes, not wanting to see the broken look on Jack's face as he lost the two people most precious to him. He pulled Angel close to him as they fell, holding her tight.  
  
"I’m so sorry, baby. This is my fault. Forgive me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI EVERYBODY! I'M NOT DEAD!!
> 
> With the end of my internship I finally found the time to finish the last two chapters. Don't worry, the next chapter will be up in just a few days, and there could possibly even be an epilogue to look forward to. As always, your continued enthusiasm and support is what gets me writing, and I am just so thankful to every person who clicked on this link and gave my story a chance.


	33. Chapter 33

The heat was oppressive, like a gust of hot sulfurous air that buffeted them as they fell. Rhys closed his eyes tighter, and tried to think about good things; it wouldn't help, but at least he wasn't going to leave this world knowing that he failed.  
  
Then suddenly, the air stopped. Rhys braced himself for the agony of his skin burning off, but it never came. Instead, there was a feeling of weightlessness, like being in zero gravity.  
  
Rhys opened his eyes tentatively, and was blinded momentarily by bright pearly light. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that the light emanated directly from angel's shoulders, coalescing into two beautiful angel wings, beating steadily in the air and keeping them afloat, about twenty feet from the lava's surface.  
  
"Angel?" Rhys said, hardly daring to believe his eyes.  
  
"Rhys." She said, her voice filled with wonder, her own eyes sparkling with the light from her birthmarks. "I can _fly_."

* * *

  
Jack stared over the side of the cliff into the abyss below.  
  
"No."  
  
The clouds of smog billowing up from the trench were too thick to see through. A blessing and a curse.  
  
"No."  
  
His eyes burned as he turned away, rage like he had never felt before bubbling up inside him.  
  
"No, no, no, no, _NOOO!"_ He roared into the now silent cavern, slamming his fists down into the dirt.  
  
He had failed. He had lost everything he cared about, and failed.  
  
"Jack, what happened?" Someone said in his ear. He snarled, ripping the communicator out of his ear and throwing it away, curling in on himself as he tried to control all the grief and rage and loss swirling inside him. Thoughts flew through his head faster than he could register them, thoughts of revenge, of retribution on this miserable planet that takes _everything_ good from him. Of people that could have helped and didn't, how they too were to blame. Of his own team that weren't good enough to save the people he loved, and ways he could change them to fix that. The rage was settling into a cold heavy weight on his chest. His scar burned under his mask, but he ignored it.  
  
_They would **all** pay for this._  
  
"Daddy!"  
  
Jack's head whipped up, his wet eyes wide as he took in the sight of them, rising over the edge of the cliff, borne effortlessly by the wings protruding from his daughter's back. _"Angel?"_  
  
"Don't cry, daddy." Angel said, and Rhys graciously let Angel go as soon as they were over solid ground so she could flutter over to her father, her wings dissipating as her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "I'm okay."  
  
Jack was motionless for one long moment before he tentatively put his arms around her, as if scared she would disappear as soon as he touched her. Once he had established that she was, in fact, real, he held her tight, burying his hand in her hair as he shook with relief. His arms were steel beams around her, one hand cradling the back of her head as he pressed kiss after kiss to the top of her head. Angel was crying silently into his chest, her whole body trembling as she finally gave way under the stress of her ordeal.  
  
"You're alive." Jack choked out, his voice as close to a sob as Rhys had ever heard it. "You're both alive."  
  
"Thanks to Angel." Rhys said, dropping to his knees next to Jack. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I thought I had lost you both." Jack whispered, reaching out to cup the back of Rhys' neck, drawing him in and pressing his forehead against Rhys'. "I thought this planet was going to take you both away from me."  
  
"We're okay, handsome."  
  
"Thank god." Jack whispered, pressing a quick hard kiss to Rhys' mouth before his attention turned back to his still-crying daughter. "Oh, my Angel, my beautiful Angel..."  
  
"Daddy..." Angel sobbed, her hands fisting into Jack's waistcoat. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I wasn't smart enough to get out on my own...I didn't...I almost got Rhys killed-"  
  
"Don't be sorry, baby." Jack said automatically. "You did so good, I'm so, so proud of you, my brave, brilliant, _beautiful_ baby girl." He swallowed tightly, feeling tears of relief well up in his eyes. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here, baby."  
  
"I knew you were coming, daddy." Angel sniffled, her voice resolute. "I knew you'd save me."  
  
"Are you hurt, sweetheart?" Jack asked, running his hands over her, checking for injuries. "If they hurt you, I'll-"  
  
"They didn't hurt me, but the Warrior-"  
  
Jack's hand brushed against the smooth metal collar, and his blood ran cold. "What the hell is _this_?"  
  
"They called it a dampening collar. It controls my siren powers." Angel said, wincing. "They put it on me after I tried to escape and rescue the others."  
  
"They put a fucking _collar_ on you?" Jack snarled, running his fingers along it, looking for a weak spot. Finding the hinge, he wrapped his hands around it. "Hold still baby, I'll get this off you in a-"  
  
"Jack, NO!" Rhys shouted, drawing attention to himself as he grabbed Jack's wrist, stopping him. "You might electrocute her if you try to force it off. Gimme a second, I'll see what I can find out about it."  
  
"Are _you_ okay, Rhys?" Angel asked, her eyes on the unnatural lump protruding from Rhys' shoulder as his eye glowed gold.  
  
"I'll be fine." Rhys said, even though his jaw was clenched tight in pain with every movement. "Alright, I think I can hack this thing, but it's going to take a few minutes. Is it hurting you right now, honey?"  
  
"It's a little tight." She admitted. Rhys frowned, his eye whirring softly.  
  
"Hold her hair back." He told Jack, who obeyed. Rhys began tinkering with the collar, using the various attachments installed in his cybernetic arm, his flesh arm dangling uselessly by his side.  
  
"What happened to Axton and Maya and Gaige?" Angel asked while Rhys worked on the collar. "Are they okay? Did they get hurt because of me?"  
  
"We found them. Don't you worry baby. We have everyone, even Gortys." Jack said, and Angel sighed in relief softly. "I thought I was gonna lose you there for a second, baby girl." Jack said under his breath.  
  
"You'd save me." She said, trustingly. "You'll always be there to save me, right, daddy?"  
  
"Always." Jack said, his voice thick with emotion.  
  
"But it looks like you can handle yourself pretty well, baby." Rhys commented proudly. "I heard that you managed to escape your cell and avoid capture all on your own."  
  
"You did?" Jack asked, pride swelling in his chest.  
  
"It wasn't hard. The bandits were really stupid, and I just remembered everything that Axton and Maya and you and everybody taught me, daddy."  
  
"Almost got it...aha!" Rhys exclaimed, the collar beeping twice before the locking mechanisms released.  
  
Angel whimpered as the collar fell away from her neck. The two men holding her hissed in sympathy and rage as a line of deep black and blue bruises and red burns was revealed, left behind by the collar.  
  
"I thought you said it _wasn't_ hurting you." Jack growled, wanting to kill those bandits all over again. He picked up the offending object and hurled it with all his might into the fiery abyss below.  
  
"They used it to drag me a couple of times when I fought them. And it shocked me when I didn't do what he wanted." Angel said, wincing as she rubbed the marked skin. "I'll be okay, daddy." Angel said, laying her head on Jack's shoulder. "They're all dead now, right?"  
  
"Yeah baby, all dead." Rhys murmured, gently laying the back of his cybernetic hand on the bruises, a little part of him relaxing as she sighed in relief at the cool touch. "We wiped them off the face of Pandora. They won't ever hurt you again."  
  
" _Good_." Angel said viciously. She buried her face in Jack's shirt once more, finding a section that wasn't too caked with blood and dirt. "I wanna go home, daddy. Can we leave now? Please?"  
  
"Yeah, baby girl, we can leave." Jack said, hoisting her into his arms as he stood. "Let's all go home." He held a hand out to Rhys. "Come on, Rhysie." He frowned as Rhys grunted in pain as he hoisted the lanky man up. "You all right, babe?"  
  
"Just a dislocated shoulder, I think." Rhys said. He stepped into Jack's space, laying his clawed, deadly hand on angel's cheek as he wiped the remains of her tears away, bending to press his forehead against hers. "I'm just glad you're okay, baby girl."  
  
Jack inhaled quietly, having never heard Rhys call Angel by his own favorite endearment. It made something warm and light bloom in his chest, making him blink in surprise.  
  
Normally he only felt possessive when anyone but him called her that. He shrugged. One more instance where Rhys was the exception to his every rule.  
  
Angel nuzzled the cybernetic hand gently, being careful of the talons. "I missed you." She said.  
  
"I missed you more." Rhys replied, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Do me a favor and keep your eyes closed till we get out of here, okay, sweetheart?" He cast a disparaging look at Jack. "Some of us got a little violent."  
  
"They laid hands on my daughter. I regret nothing." Jack declared. Angel giggled, putting her face into Jack's neck, keeping her eyes closed.  
  
"Is she alright?" Timothy called as he and Aurelia approached at a jog. Behind him, Nisha and Wilhelm were guarding the entrance, their faces frequently turning back to where the three of them stood. "Did they hurt her?"  
  
"She's okay." Rhys answered, glancing at Aurelia, who looked utterly wrecked. "Tim, have you ever popped someone's shoulder back in?"  
  
"Loads of times. Come here." Tim said, walking a few steps away with Rhys.  
  
Aurelia let out an uneven breath, the makeup around her eyes smudged and wet. She made an aborted motion to touch Angel before stopping herself, a small noise that could have been either relief or fear escaping her. Angel turned her head to look at her, her hand outstretched.  
  
"I'm okay, Auntie A." She said when Aurelia took her hand, pressing trembling lips to Angel's palm. "I'm okay. I'm right here, auntie."  
  
"You scared the life out of me when you went over, my dearest darling." She said to Angel, smoothing a shaky gloved hand over her head. She glanced up at Jack, who narrowed his eyes at her.  
  
"Jack, I..." She began, her fingers leaving Angel's hair reluctantly as she backed away, fear creeping back across her face. "I am so, so sorry, I didn't mean to...if I had known he'd drag her over-"  
  
"Thank you. For taking the shot." He said to her. "Thank you for putting an end to him when I couldn't."  
  
"...you're welcome, darling." Aurelia said, bemused but relieved.  
  
"OW!" Rhys shouted, causing Angel to flinch and look over to where Tim was holding his hands up in surrender, Rhys doubled over in pain.  
  
"Sorry, man."  
  
"No problem. Thanks." Rhys said, gingerly rotating his arm and sighing in relief.  
  
"Anytime."  
  
"Daddy?" angel said, her head turning from side to side curiously.  
  
"Yeah, baby?" Jack said, his eyes also on Rhys and his body double.  
  
"Do you hear that?"  
  
Jack stopped, listening carefully. "Hear what, baby girl?"  
  
"That. That sound. It's like...crying." She lifted her head, looking around the cavern. "Don't you hear that?"  
  
"Rhys?"  
  
"I don't hear anything."  
  
"How can you not-" She wriggled in Jack's grip. "Put me down, daddy."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Daddy, this is _important_."  
  
"Alright, baby." He set Angel on her feet. She looked around the room again, her head cocked to one side.  
  
"Hello?" She called. Her voice echoing back at her. "I can't understand you."  
  
"Angel-" Jack began before Angel went running off towards the corpse of the warrior. She stooped down to grab a crude hatchet from a dead bandit, grunting as she tried to lift the heavy weapon.  
  
"Angel, what the hell are you doing?" Jack barked, running after her.  
  
"There's something in there!" She shouted, pointing at a spot on the warrior's underbelly. "Quick, we have to help it!"  
  
"Baby-"  
  
"Daddy, please!"  
  
"...fine. I have no idea what's happening, but fine." Jack muttered, but grabbed the blade from his daughter. "Tell me where, sweetheart."  
  
"Right here! Hurry!"  
  
"Here goes nothing." Jack grunted, swinging the hatchet into the spot Angel had pointed at. The blade immediately began to sizzle, and within a few moments became too hot for Jack to hold onto.  
  
"Come on out." Angel cooed, crouching near the gash. "It's okay, no one's gonna hurt you."  
  
"Angel-"  
  
Rhys was cut off by a rumble from inside the monster. Both he and Jack reached out to drag Angel back as the monster's skin began to roll, the gash growing wider and wider as something inside fought to get free. After a few tense moments, an inky black head stuck out of the wound, followed closely by a body and a tail. The thing shook itself of the monsters glowing blood, looking around the cavern with six obsidian eyes, a purple tongue lolling out of its mouth. It was about the size of a large dog, a near perfect, albeit miniature copy of the warrior, with a pair of tiny, useless wings between its shoulders. The thing looked at them, its head cocked to the side.  
  
"Holy shit." Rhys said dumbly. "Was it… _pregnant_?"  
  
"No, silly. This is what it _does_. When it dies, it just spawns a new one of itself." Angel explained automatically.  
  
"How do you know that?" Jack asked. Angel paused, then shrugged.  
  
"I’m not really sure." She answered honestly, already reaching out a hand to the miniature Vault Monster, squealing in delight as it snuffed at her hand before proceeding to lick it, its tail wagging happily. "Can I keep it, daddy? Please?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, tis the season to be giving, so here's my holiday gift to all of you wonderful people who have supported me through this work: THERE'S GONNA BE AN EPILOGUE! yaaay! Happy holidays, and thank you for all of the support and comments and everything, it truly means the world to me.


	34. Epilogue

_Five years later_ _  
_  
Angel woke with a whimper, her breathing fast and sharp as her eyes darted around the room. Home. She was home, not in some god forsaken lava-filled Pandoran dungeon.  
  
She tried to tell that to her thundering pulse, to the fear riding high in her chest and throat. She was safe, she told her shaking hands. Her grandfather and The Children of the Vault were long dead. She was in the safest place in the universe, she was _home_. She wasn't the helpless little girl she had been. There was no need to panic.  
  
Unfortunately, panic attacks don't respond to common sense like they should.  
  
Immediately, she heard a whine from the end of her bed, as a monstrous shadow began to glow, its eyes reflecting the purple light of Elpis streaming through the window like a pair of tiny mirrors.  
  
"Go back to sleep, Obby." Angel said, her voice shaky. "It's okay."  
  
The Warrior, since rechristened Obsidian, whined again. Angel sighed, leaning forward and scratching the jut of rocky skin on his head. "Really, Obby, its fine."  
  
The monster rolled onto his back, staring at her upside down, his tongue lolling out in a ridiculous manner. Angel laughed, the sound tight in her chest. She felt a surge of affection through the weak link to the warrior in her head, and smiled.  
  
In the years since...the incident, Angel and Obby had become almost completely inseparable. At first, Jack and Rhys had been wary of the monstrous looking creature, but after the first time some idiot had raised their voice at Angel only to have Obby try to tear off their arm, they warmed up to the reincarnated vault monster.  
  
Angel looked down at her hands, irritated that she could still see them shaking. With a heavy sigh, she got out of bed, changing out of her sleepwear and into her practice gear. If she couldn't sleep, she might as well train.  
  
"Angel?"  
  
"Go back to sleep, Gortys." Angel said, slipping on a pair of tennis shoes.  
  
"But-"  
  
"I'm just going down to the target range for a bit. I'll be back soon, I promise."  
  
"Okay..." Gortys said hesitantly. "Have fun?"  
  
"I will, thank you, Gortys." Angel said, slipping out of the room with Obby at her heels.  
  
As she made her way down the hallway, she paused outside her father's bedroom. Opening the door silently, she peered into the room. Her father was wrapped around Rhys, snoring lightly into the skinny man's ear, but Rhys didn't seem to mind. In fact, the faint smile on his sleeping face indicated he liked Jack being so close.  
  
Angel bit her lip, closing the door silently. Her father and his partner had been working hard, and they deserved a good rest. She wouldn't wake them just because she had another nightmare. She was a big girl. She could handle it.  
  
She would handle it.  
  
\----  
  
"You're up late." Felicity said when Angel entered the target range. Felicity had her voice pitched low, so only Angel would hear it, and for that, Angel was thankful. "Angel, are you alright?"  
  
"Not yet." Angel said after a moment’s thought. She smiled despite herself as Obby wriggled his way between her legs, pushing his huge head into her and nuzzling her. "But I...I will be. I think." She rubbed Obby's head for a moment before clearing her throat. "Can you start warming up Scenario Alpha-one-seven, Felicity? And open the weapons vault."  
  
"Angel, do you really think it's a good idea-"  
  
"I could be here or I could wander the station for a while, Felicity. Which would you rather explain to my dad?"  
  
"...opening weapons vault." Felicity said at last. Angel smirked.  
  
"That's what I thought." She said as she made her way toward the vault. "Any suggestions?"  
  
"Answering questions like that would imply that I approve of this course of action. That being said, the latest prototype of Project ARCH-3R has been cleared for safety testing."  
  
Angel grinned. Project ARCH-3R had begun soon after Angel began her weapons training, and discovered that she didn't like guns that much. After many lengthy arguments with her father, a compromise had been reached; as long as Angel remained proficient in all types of firearms, Jack would begin work on an alternative for her personal use.  
  
She reached into the vault and retrieved the newest prototype: an elegantly designed compound bow, accented in blue and white. Grabbing the specially designed quiver and a box of bullets, she closed the vault, heading into the center of the range with Obby.  
  
The bow had already been calibrated to her specifics, and it only took a few moments to tweak the settings to perfection. Satisfied, Angel watched the targets move for a moment, then raised the bow, the string pulling back smoothly as she picked her target.  
  
Angel took a deep breath, and then another. In, lining up the sights, out, readjust the grip.  
  
In. Out.  
  
Pull. Release.  
  
The target exploded into tiny flaming pieces, to the delight of the nearby monster, who immediately began bounding after the embers, growling excitedly as he leapt about.  
  
Angel smiled wryly. At least someone was having fun here.  
  
\---  
  
"Rhys."  
  
"Huh? What?" Rhys grunted, waking up abruptly. "What is it, Gortys?" He asked, rubbing his eyes as he squinted at the small robot.  
  
"Angel said she was going to go to the target range for a little bit-"  
  
"This late?" Rhys questioned.  
  
"But that was over an hour ago, and she still isn't back. I think you should go talk to her."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Rhys said absently, already rolling out of bed. Jack, who slept like the dead on a regular night, didn't so much as twitch. Rhys would be amazed if the man moved an inch until well after noon, given how hard he had been working this past week.  
  
"How long did you say she's been down there?" Rhys asked as he followed the robot towards the door.  
  
"An hour and forty two minutes." Gortys said.  
  
Rhys frowned. Even with how exhausted he and Jack had been when they finally finished their work, they should have heard the door to the penthouse open. Rhys knew Jack would have a fit if he knew Angel had been out with only Obby for an escort, no matter how dangerous he was. That knowledge made him quicken his pace, determined to retrieve Angel before Jack could wake up.  
  
The ride down to the target range was tense, with Gortys glancing up at Rhys every few moments.  
  
"Angel's not in trouble, is she, Rhys?"  
  
"No, Gortys."  
  
"She sure spends an awful lot of time at the target range." Gortys mused. "Is she practicing for something in particular?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"Angel told me she practices a lot because she wants to be ready. What is she trying to be ready for?"  
  
"...anything." Rhys said quietly as the elevator slowed to a halt.  
  
"What would be so scary on Helios?"  
  
"I don't think it's Helios that we have to be scared of." Rhys said as they entered the range.  
  
Deeply focused on the scenario, Angel didn't even notice the arrival of her companion bot and surrogate parent. Rhys waited for her to realize that she wasn't alone, but after several minutes, it became clear that Angel had no intention of stopping on her own.  
  
"Felicity, end scenario." Rhys said quietly. Felicity complied at once, slowing the targets down to a standstill. Angel didn't look away from her last target, keeping her bow at the ready as she waited for the scenario to resume.  
  
"Angel?" Rhys said, more concerned than before. "What're you doing up so late, honey?"  
  
Angel was silent, not wanting to burden him. She kept her eyes on the targets in front of her, absentmindedly spinning through the contents of her quiver as she stared.  
  
Rhys' hand was suddenly in her field of vision, pushing her bow down until it was pointed at the floor. His other hand gently lifted her chin, tilting her face up towards his. "Another nightmare?" He asked softly.  
  
Angel closed her suddenly prickling eyes, and nodded just a little. He always saw right through her, something she both hated and loved. Rhys sighed heavily, pulling Angel into his arms.  
  
"Why didn't you wake us, sweetie?" He asked her.  
  
"Didn't wanna bother you. Or Daddy." Angel said into his chest, letting the bow drop to the ground with a clatter as she fisted her hands in the back of Rhys' shirt. Behind her, Gortys whirred closer, embracing Angel around her knees.  
  
"You're not bothering us." Rhys insisted, squeezing Angel tighter. "Not ever."  
  
"It's stupid."  
  
"It's not."  
  
"I'm capable of handling my own problems. I don't need to go running to you and daddy every time something bad happens to me." She said, frustrated. "How am I supposed to fight Vault Monsters and bandits and whatever if I can’t even fight my own demons?"  
  
"Even Vault Hunters know that it's pointless to try and take on something as big as a vault monster alone. Ask anyone."  
  
"Rhysie has a point, baby girl."  
  
Both Angel and Rhys looked toward the door, where Jack was leaning against the wall, his hair still mussed from sleep.  
  
"I thought you were sleeping." Rhys said.  
  
"I woke up." Jack said, dryly. "Imagine my surprise when I found the two most important people in the universe missing from the penthouse."  
  
"Don't be mad, daddy." Angel said. "It's my fault."  
  
Jack sighed, crossing the room to where Angel and Rhys were standing. He crouched down, forcing Angel to look down at him. "What happened?" He asked quietly.  
  
"I...I had a nightmare. Again." Angel said, a slight wobble in her voice.  
  
"About Pandora?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That's the third time this week." Jack stated, glancing at Rhys for the briefest of moments.  
  
"I know."  
  
Jack and Angel stared at each other, waiting to see who would crack first.  
  
"How does the new prototype handle?" Jack asked at last, standing up again. Angel blinked, confused. Jack motioned towards the bow lying at Angel's feet.  
  
"I had the geek in R &D try a new compound suspension system. Trying to add a few hundred yards to the range, you know. Is it harder to draw back?"  
  
"Not really." Angel said, glad for the change of subject. "But I've been training with Axton to build up my strength in my arms."  
  
"Even so, we don't need it failing you when you need it. Maybe we can make it adjustable, somehow." He gestured towards the targets. "Let's see how it does."  
  
Angel reached down to get her bow, but Gortys beat her to the punch, holding the weapon aloft triumphantly. Angel smirked, taking the bow from the robot. "Thanks, Gortys."  
  
"Felicity, run Scenario Alpha-one-eight, would you?" Jack said loudly, taking a few steps back and crossing his arms. "Go on, baby. Impress me."  
  
Angel smiled, readying her bow as the targets began to move once more, circling the range at dizzying speeds. In quick succession, she fired ten arrows, burying them neatly in the centers of the targets, before a portal opened in the ceiling, revealing a target dummy. Grinning with a slightly vicious edge, Angel switched her arrows to incendiary, shooting a cluster of arrows into the target's chest before igniting them all, causing the dummy to burst into flames. A similar fate befell each of the following three dummies, as she demonstrated the use of all of her elemental arrows.  
  
"Very nice, babycakes." Jack said, approvingly once all the targets had been destroyed. "Been working with Hammerlock on your aim?"  
  
"Yeah." Angel said proudly. Rhys watched as the tension in Angel’s shoulders slowly loosened, and smiled to himself. Jack may not be a lot of things, but he knew his daughter very, very well.  
  
"You're getting really good at anticipating where the targets are gonna move. Is the pattern too predictable?" Rhys asked. "I can try to run up some more complicated algorithms."  
  
"No, that's because of my training with Maya. She's been showing me how to use my siren powers to focus more clearly." She fiddled with an arrow, trying to find the words to explain it. "It's almost like...I can feel where it's gonna go next, sometimes."  
  
"Interesting." Jack murmured.  
  
"But you and Maya figured out that stuff that involves tech is more in your siren wheelhouse, especially if you are familiar with the tech itself." Rhys pointed out, scratching Obby behind his ear with his metal hand. "That could be the case with the targets in the range, but what if that doesn't hold true for other things?"  
  
"That's true. We don't know how your powers would apply to non-mechanical targets..." Jack said, frowning.  
  
"Wouldn't...wouldn't figuring that out involve me shooting at living things?" Angel asked, apprehensive.  
  
"Maybe we can design a non-lethal form of ammo to test that theory." Jack amended. When Angel still looked troubled, Jack put his arm around her.  
  
"The universe is full of living things that are going to want to hurt you, baby girl. If you're gonna be a great Vault Hunter, I want to give you everything I can to make sure you stay safe. If that means I have to push science further to ensure that, then you can goddamn bet that I will." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, squeezing her tightly against his side. "Now show me how the ammo switching system works. I had Gaige run up some new specs."  
  
\---  
  
When Angel started yawning every other minute, Rhys stood, Obby whining pitifully as the cybernetic man abandoned his task of scratching all the spots that Obby couldn't reach.  
  
"I think we should head back upstairs. The two of you are gonna collapse any second now."  
  
"Yeah." Angel agreed, heading towards the vault to put away her bow, Gortys and Obby trailing behind her. Jack watched her go with an unreadable expression on his face.  
  
"What's wrong, handsome?" Rhys asked, moving closer to Jack, his hand automatically going to Jack's neck, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb.  
  
"Why won’t she talk to me about her nightmares?" Jack asked suddenly.  
  
Rhys paused for a moment, contemplating his answer while his hands resumed their caress.  
  
"Did I..." Jack swallowed dryly. "Did I do something?" He asked at last.  
  
"I think..." Rhys said, choosing his words carefully. "That this might be one of those things Angel needs to work out for herself. By herself."  
  
"She shouldn't have to work out anything. If I had been..." he caught sight of Rhys' scowl and quickly rethought his words. "She shouldn't have nightmares of being kidnapped at all, is what I'm saying. I failed her. Why should she have to suffer for my mistakes?"  
  
"You can't fix everything, Jack."  
  
"Watch me." Jack snapped. Rhys looked at him reproachfully.  
  
"She has to fight her own battles now. We can't keep fighting them for her. It's not going to do her any favors, and she doesn't want us to anyway. She’s growing up Jack. The best thing you can do is let her."  
  
"There has to be something we can do." Jack said, and the desperate edge to his words gave Rhys enough incentive to voice the idea he had been harboring for months.  
  
"Maybe..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Maybe she needs to see how much more prepared she is. Perhaps if she stops seeing herself as a victim..."  
  
"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this idea?" Jack asked warily.  
  
"Gaige is going to Elpis next week with Aurelia and Timothy. She's meeting with Athena’s girlfriend, Janey Springs to see what she can learn about dahl tech."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Let her take Angel with her to Elpis."  
  
"Absolutely not-"  
  
"It's closer than Pandora. I personally think it might be marginally less dangerous than Pandora-"  
  
"Key word being marginally. Also spoken like someone who hasn't spent a lot of time there."  
  
"She'll have Aurelia, Timothy, Gaige, Gortys _and_ Obby with her. The five of them are twice as dangerous as anything she'll meet on Elpis-"  
  
"Says who?"  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, I can ECHO Athena and see if she'll keep an eye on them all from a distance." Rhys relented. "We have to show that we have faith in her, so she can have faith in herself."  
  
"But-" Jack began, then really took a look at Rhys' face. "You _really_ think this is the right thing to do?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Would I have suggested it if I wasn't sure?" Rhys said, cupping Jack's face in his human hand. "Trust me, handsome."  
  
"...fine. I don't like it but...Fine." Jack whispered. Rhys grinned, pressing a quick kiss to Jack's mouth before calling over his shoulder.  
  
"Hey, Angel?"  
  
"Yeah, dad?"  
  
"...would you want to go with Gaige when she visits Elpis next week? Maybe take the bow out for a real world test?" Jack asked as brightly as he could manage, hiding his clenched fists behind his back.  
  
Angel gaped at her father, her eyes wide. "Are you serious?" Angel said, her hands covering her mouth. "You'd actually let me _leave_?"  
  
" _No one_ is keeping you prisoner here." Rhys said, feeling Jack tense beside him. "If this is something you want to do, then we will do everything we can to support you. Right, Jack?"  
  
"...yeah, of course, baby girl." Jack said, his concern warring with how happy this idea was making Angel. "You'll be taking Obby and Gortys and the most epic shield I can find-oof!" Jack grunted as Angel threw herself into her father's arms.  
  
"Oh my god, thank you daddy! Thank you so much!" She squealed. She squeezed her father tightly, before turning to call out to her companion bot. "Gortys! We're gonna go on an adventure!"  
  
_To be continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FINALLY MOTHERFUCKING DID IT!! JESUS CHRIST!!
> 
> So hi. I finished it, at last, and I thought, that'd be it, right? NO APPARENTLY NOT, because I have more ideas in the bank for this universe. I dont know when they will manifest themselves, but I have them. 
> 
> I want to thank everyone who stayed with this fic for the past 2+ years, who left lovely reviews and encouraged me to write more. I truly appreciate every single one of you, and i hope that you enjoyed this fic, because I know I have. I also want to thank smileybagel for being the most OUTSTANDING beta a girl could ask for.
> 
> Thanks for everything.  
> ~Freej


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